'Charity highlights free support services for those struggling at Christmas' - Your Letters plus a festive flashback to 1966 in a picture from the archive

Marie Curie is here for you

Christmas is a chance to celebrate and create lasting memories with those closest to us. But for anyone experiencing dying, death or bereavement the festive season can be particularly challenging and difficult to navigate. Many carers, families and friends need help to get them through the season, but don’t know where to access that support.

Marie Curie – the UK’s leading end of life charity - believes everyone should have expert care and support at the end of life, free from unnecessary pain, and have the dignity and respect they deserve, whatever the illness, wherever they are. Our free Support.

Line is open over the festive season, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, offering practical and emotional support on everything from managing symptoms, navigating care to financial information, including how to get help with energy bills, and bereavement support.

Whether you’re facing the last Christmas with a loved one or the first without them, our trained Support Line Officers are here to help and provide a listening ear, as well as our Companion over the phone and Bereavement Support Service that offer regular calls at a time that suits you.

Contact Marie Curie for free on 0800 090 2309 or visit mariecurie.org.uk/support-line to find help and advice.

Charlotte Lindley, Marie Curie

Facing up to our resolutions

Tis the season to be jolly and for big geezers with white beards to dress up in red and run around shouting "ho ho ho!" and not get a visit from the local constabulary accompanied by people in white coats, holding a big secure white jacket.

As the year trundles to an end, only slightly quicker than a Labour Government trying desperately to discover if it has actually achieved anything, other than increase Keir Starmer's air miles, Uncle Norbert and I face the dilemma of those pesky New Year Resolutions.

In the end we decide against making any foolhardy promises we know we cannot keep, such as:

We were going to wish "goodwill to all men" but the Sexist Police would rush round and hit us with our 1967 Parelli calendar. And anyway how can you wish goodwill to Arsenal Football club? Impossible.

We were thinking of saying for the new year we would like to be treated as we treat others, but this would mean we would fall foul of the Naughty Thoughts Police for telling good old British jokes.

The best we have decided to hope for is that the New Year brings relief to Spurs fans and people who keep flying the Union flag, when the Winter weather allows, but please make sure it's the right way up! We don't want the country to be seen abroad as full of idiots, that's the job of the Government.

Peter Steggles, Rushbury

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