The organisation said charities were reporting increased demand for support during the coronavirus pandemic. In its latest Oxfordshire Needs Analysis report, focused on mental health, OCF argues that the Covid-19 pandemic and repeated lockdowns are in danger of creating an ‘epidemic of loneliness’ across the county. The report highlights that around 6,000 people across Oxfordshire are claiming Personal Independence Payments as a result of mental health struggles, and this evidence is likely to be hiding a much larger issue, during a crisis that demands self-isolation and social distancing. The report also revealed that 30,000 pensioners in Oxfordshire lived alone, and that the majority of areas across the county are more isolated than average from services such as supermarkets, GP surgeries and Post Offices.