Courtney Hughes, 25, was inspired by her great-grandmother’s festive joy and generous spirit. Here, she tells us about her own drive to brighten up Christmas for other people
Mesmerised by the rapid click-clack of knitting needles, I watched as an angel took shape. My great-grandmother Elsie Richardson – I called her “Granny Nanny” – finished off with a flourish. “Another one done,” she smiled.
Soon the cute decoration joined the other angels she’d created for the communal Christmas trees in her warden-controlled accommodation. My sister Megan and I loved visiting – her flat was decked out with colourful paper chains, and we spent hours making sweet bags ready for the local primary school children when they visited.
Our mum, Claire, had done the same with Granny Nanny when she was a girl. “It’s so good to see the same traditions passed down,” she said.
Although she was frail, Granny Nanny often popped out to get bread and milk for her neighbours. “To be frank, everyone needs help,” she’d say. But just before Christmas 2012 she was admitted to hospital in Oxford with gastrointestinal problems and a blood clot. We knew she’d be disappointed to miss her favourite time of the year.
“Let’s take Christmas to her,” I said. So Mum, Megan, dad Lee and I carried in a turkey dinner and presents for her on Christmas Day. Although she was poorly, her face lit up. But I felt sad when I saw other patients had no visitors. “There’s nobody here for them,” I said to Mum.
Sadly, Granny Nanny, 84, died three months later. Aged 14, I was heartbroken. But as Chri
