A seven year old Somerset schoolgirl is setting adults the best possible example of true charity, by spending some of her time visiting lonely elderly neighbours who are on their own and who see very few people. (Mature Times)

Lana Rowntree was touched by television reports featuring the loneliness of some pensioners who hadn’t had a visitor for six months and sent a hand-written letter, decorated with a drawing of her family, to the North Somerset Times asking if any pensioners would like to “be her friend”. She is now visiting one elderly lady on a regular basis, who is teaching her how to knit.

According to Age UK nearly half a million elderly people will be spending Christmas alone this year, with a quarter of them “not looking forward” to the experience due to painful memories of loved ones who were now dead.