Horace Wilkinson lived alone and died alone. His death, sometime over Christmas, went unnoticed. It took until now, three weeks into January, before his body was discovered.

If Mr Wilkinson, 64, had any surviving family, they had not been in touch. He may once have had a close circle of friends - but they, too, had gone.

Any death is sad. A death as lonely as this is tragic.

On Tuesday, we reported the astonishing story of the Kissack family's Christmas. Leading lawyer Nigel Kissack's present to his wife Kathryn was a £400,000 house - plus a bag of "goodies" from top people's store Harvey Nichols. He only closed the house deal at 8.30pm on Christmas Eve.

There could be no greater contrast between their story and that of Mr Wilkinson. It is hard to conceive that they lived in the same city and walked the same streets.

There is no one to blame. Mr Wilkinson did not die because someone was negligent. No individual or organisation was trusted with his care.

But his death should trigger a pang of guilt in us all. We share responsibility for creating a society where a man living in a residential street can be forgotten.

Unfortunately, his death is not an isolated case. Two years ago, we reported the lonely death of Acomb pensioner Ronald Cooper. His absence was finally noticed when neighbours realised there were no footsteps in the snow between his house and outside toilet.

The year before that, York was shocked by the news that a young, homeless man had frozen to death in his squat.

Such tragedies perhaps cannot be prevented. But they do make us more aware of the fragmentation of society.

Modern life can be a rushed, solitary affair. Work takes people away from their homes, families and neighbours.

It was not so long ago that community spirit flourished in every village and city street. Too often today people simply do not have time for a friendly word or neighbourly chat.

But Mr Wilkinson's death should at least serve as a reminder that it is not too much trouble to keep an eye on the welfare of our elderly neighbours.

see NEWS 'Lonely death of York man, 64'

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