A THIRD of people in the North-East are too embarrassed to admit they are lonely at Christmas according to a poll by the mental health charity Mind.

The survey of 2,051 people also found that more than one in five people in the North-East, some 21 per cent, would not feel able to ask for help at Christmas if they were struggling emotionally.

Mind is calling on people to donate to their Christmas Appeal at mind.org.uk/christmas to help the charity make sure nobody has to cope alone this Christmas.

The effects of not feeling able to reach out for support Christmas can be potentially devastating. Almost one in ten people in the region admitted they have considered taking their own lives because of the festive period, with almost the same amount considering harming themselves.

Although loneliness is often associated with older people, the age group most likely to say they feel embarrassed is 18 to 24-year-olds. Those aged 65 and over are actually least likely to say they felt embarrassed.