I feel passionately about what we do, and the di erence it canmake.” Stephanie, fromKent, phoned Samaritans six years ago when she was feeling desperate during the festive season. I was lucky enough to get accepted at Central London, and here I still am. “I vowed, if I felt strong enough years later, I’d like to be on the other end of the phone. “I called in a very di cult moment, and genuinely think it was life-saving,” she says. She knows first hand how it can help, after using the service herself. “All the advertising is about being together, but there’s a lot of loneliness at Christmas.” Anna, 64, is one of 20,000 people who volunteer at 201 Samaritans branches across the UK and Ireland. “Also, a lot of people don’t have anyone to spend Christmas with,” she adds. Theymight travel a long way, then they have a fight with somebody and it feels terrible.

“People come together over Christmas and there can be a lot of pressure and tension, and there is always the potential for it to be a letdown.

“Christmas is incredibly family orientated, and The festive season is always a busy time for Samaritans, and callers citing family issues are on the rise, writes Emma Higginbotham families can be very complicated,” says Anna Barry, a Samaritans volunteer of 28 years, who always works over the festive period.

Mental health/illness remains the top concern at 46%, with isolation and loneliness third at 28%, and relationship problems next at 24%. More than a third of these will be related to family issues, with new figures revealing that the amount of calls about family worries have risen for the fifth year in a row to 34% (up from27% in 2017). Every day, Samaritans volunteers respond to around 10,000 calls for help, and the charity is expectingmore than 250,000 during the festive season. Family expectations, tensions and pressure can lead to – or exacerbate – feelings of desperation, and suicide prevention charity Samaritans says many people particularly struggle at this time of year. LET US PLAY We choose our favourite Christmas board games p44 LEFTOVERS TO LOVE Elly Curshen’s cavolo nero & Stilton Caesar p24 DAVID HAREWOOD Shakespeare, self-analysis and his cuddly new friend p10 OFFERS 4 for 3 on selected festive party food fromWaitrose p58 FREE 9 December 2021 Present perfect Handpicked for you, classic wines and spirits to give as gifts this year, p35ĩ DECEMB ER 2021 2 NEWS&VIEWS Cover photography: Maja Smend, Channel 4, Illustration: Matthew Hollings/Illustration X Christmas and NewYear is amagical time for many, but for others it can be a real challenge.

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