Mary Deery

Festive cheer can feel like a distant hope for many people, such as the homeless or elderly.

This is where big- hearted, selfless volunteers step in and give up their own Christmas Day to help ease the heartache of others.

Here, they explain why.

Mum-of-six Mary had dedicated her life to raising her kids and when they started to leave home she found a new focus.

For the past 14 years she has manned the phones for the Samaritans on Christmas Day.

She said: “Perhaps the most common call we get over Christmas is people saying they’re just lonely and sad.

“Often it’s the run- up to Christmas that’s worst for them, having nobody to buy presents for, seeing everyone else excited and happy.”

Mary, 61, from Londonderry, Northern

Ireland, is sure that a sympathetic ear and a f riendly chat can improve someone’s Christmas.

At times, callers face more specific problems, such as the woman who discovered her husband was having an affair but did not want to ruin her family’s Christmas by revealing this to everyone.

Mary said: “In t he background t here was Christmas music playing and what sounded like a party. But she said by discussing her situation she now had some hope.

“Last Christmas I had a call from a mother who recently lost a baby. She talked about all the lovely things she had planned for her baby’s first Christmas. She was so angry and was focusing her anger on her husband.”

Mary said while the caller would never recover from losing her first baby she could see a future with her husband and more children.