Schools, businesses, community organisations and individual residents will be invited to get on board with a project tackling loneliness in Dawlish.

The Outstanding With Loneliness (OWL) initiative will encourage all those involved to reach out to people of all ages in the community who might be feeling disconnected and alone.

It's being led by Dawlish Town Council's Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Working Group, whose chair Cllr Carole Tamlyn presented a report on their plans to the full council meeting on Wednesday, February 3.

She said: "We would like to use this project to celebrate and utilise the great kindness we see in our community for highlighting and reducing loneliness."

Cllr Tamlyn's report emphasised that loneliness can be a significant factor in suicide.

It quotes the Samaritans' definition of loneliness, which is not always the same as being isolated from other people.

The charity explains: "Loneliness is a personal experience and can mean different things to different people.

"Generally, it is an unwelcome feeling that arises when our expectations for social relationships and connections are not being met.

"In contrast, social isolation is about the quantity of relationships we have and can be measured objectively through the amount of contacts a person has.

"In this way, people can be isolated and not feel lonely, and be surrounded by others and feel lonely.

"Research suggests there is a stronger association with suicide and loneliness as opposed to isolation."

Why is it called the OWL project?

Explaining the name of the project, Cllr Tamlyn said owls are associated with wisdom, and have the ability to look all around them, see what is happening, and notice the most important things.

She outlined an action plan for schools, businesses, community groups and any individuals who want to make a difference, based around the words 'aware' 'care' and 'share'.

It involves offering information to those who need it and developing 'active listening' skills; starting up friendly conversations with neighbours, customers and others; and spreading the word that loneliness can and should be challenged.

There's a range of ideas for school pupils, including befriending and welcoming new students, writing letters to residents of nursing homes and visiting when permitted, and working to identify people in the neighbourhood who may be lonely.

Cllr Tamlyn said the cost to the town council would be very small as the main expenses would be printing posters to promote the scheme, and possibly creating an OWL award for people who show great commitment to the scheme.

The plans were welcomed warmly by other councillors. Cllr Martin Wrigley said: "It's a fantastic project, well targeted and well thought through.

"You have found a key issue – loneliness and isolation is a key problem, especially now, and you have my full support."

He proposed that the council should encourage Cllr Tamlyn to take the project forward, and said she should let the Finance and General Purposes Committee know if her group needed any resources.

The proposal was approved unanimously.