Boxes of hope

Volunteer Rebecca Cook brings some Christmas cheer to lonely people

SWITCH on your television and you’re guaranteed to see a host of Christmas adverts, depicting cosy houses with happy faces and gifts around the tree. Sadly, not every child will receive a gift this se

I don’t know my own birthday. My family and I fled Somalia when I was just a child, after my brother was killed by a stray grenade in the war. In the chaos of escape, my birth certificate and our fami

“Christmas is the busiest – and most exciting – time of the year in Cats Protection shops,” reveals Adele Allen, shop manager at the Cats Protection shop in Stone, Staffordshire. “There’s an incredibl

We can’t predict exactly how you’ll be feeling as the year comes to a close, but our best guess is that you’ll be in need of a breather. Because for many of us, 2025 has not been painless. Political t

Christmas starts early at Katie Piper’s house – very early. The Loose Women presenter and campaigner says it usually begins before most of us have even found the storage box with the baubles in. “My d