Many of us in Wokingham Borough are looking forward to Christmas. This is often a time where we get together with our families and friends, looking back on the year coming to an end, and ahead to the opportunities a new year brings.
For me Christmas means family, food and lots of fun, including board games. I am also looking forward to a rest and chance to reflect.
Earlier in the week I visited Addington school to talk to the head teacher and governors, they showed me round and I was touched by the lovely atmosphere with staff in Santa hats and a little girl who grabbed my hand to show me her learning board, she was so excited and humming carols. Christmas is also about children, and I am looking forward to spending some of it with baby Finn, our new grandson.
It’s also an occasion for us to look beyond our own homes. There will be people, in our community, across the country, and around the world, who will find Christmas difficult. Some will be alone over the festive period, with no family or friends to see or even speak to. Some will be struggling to make ends meet, concerned they can’t afford to have the heating on. Others will be grieving or unwell. And there will be families and children, impacted by the horrors of war who will wonder whether 2025 will bring hope or despair.
As you enjoy the Christmas holidays, try to spare a thought for someone else and make an effort, however small, to make their time better. Simple things, like asking a neighbour how they are, can sometimes have more effect than you know.
Wherever you are, and however you’re celebrating, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Pauline Jorgensen is the leader of Wokingham Conservatives
