Whether you're inspired to wear a Christmas jumper, take part in a charity bake off, buy charity Christmas cards, give your time to help the homeless,...

To me this project is about reminding each other that homelessness could happen to any of us and more importantly that they are human beings first. I cannot imagine the strength and resilience it would take to survive on the street, so to do one small bit to make someone feel cared for, supported and encouraged to keep going, means something.

Together the girls took their idea to the Headmaster and to their great delight the management were willing to offer a scholarship place the school. However, the school could not also support travel costs or the cost of laptop and uniform. This left the girls with a major challenge, but they refused to be put off.

During 2015 their friendship blossomed. I'd take Liz to Sherborne events, and John would catch the bus to Dorchester and meet Liz. By August, they decided to spend Christmas together. This was a huge step for them, so with others, we supported them to plan.

St John Ambulance is committed to keeping people safe at events and teaching the public life saving skills. First aid is such a simple skill, but it has an incredible impact. We want everyone to learn these life saving skills as they can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

In the UK, we throw away the equivalent of 2 million turkeys, 5 million Christmas puddings, and a staggering 74 million mince pies, according to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign run by the Waste Resource Action Programme known as WRAP.

But as parents, what inspiration can we get from the seasonal activities going on in schools that might help us to keep the warmth and generosity of Christmas going once the festivities have come to an end?

By 7am the river was in full flood and flowing over the bridge deck. The flooding stretched for over a mile. I have seen water on the bridge before but never as much as that night. The river had risen over 3 feet in a few hours and we had an anxious wait as river levels continued to rise.

Here three churches and a cathedral describe similar events they will be hosting on Christmas Day for groups such as rough sleepers, people living in hostels, refugees and asylum seekers and people alone on Christmas Day.

Our favourite stories at this time of year of course involve babies. Mary is a trafficked Albanian woman. She has been hosted, since the birth of her infant in September, by one of our generous hosts. Can you imagine taking in a total stranger and her newborn?

Christmas is the season of giving, but what if we were to shift the focus from giving presents to giving time, support or even just a listening ear? What may seem like a small gesture to you could mean the world to somebody that's struggling, and surely that's what Christmas is actually all about.

People that call in the early hours of Christmas morning are doing so because they feel they have no one else they can talk to, or old memories rear their head that can feel easier to keep at bay at other times of year.

Christmas in Britain comes at a cold, dark time of year. At the hospice, as elsewhere, we dress the wards up to keep the cold and dark at bay, and bring as much warmth and light to those spending Christmas with us as we can.

As we approach Christmas, employers need to think hard about giving their employees time to volunteer and ensuring they are free to serve these causes. The Skills Exchange is an excellent organisation to work with, and BT are keen to help employers learn about effective ESV.

Image credit: Ben Turner Though this year has had its low points, I personally have been moved by people's generosity of spirit. In April, my ...

As parents, we owe it to our children to show elderly people that we care. One day, we too will be old and who knows if we will be lucky enough to still have family and friends around us? We will be extremely lucky if we do.