Christmas is no time to be in hospital - especially if you are young and looking forward to a visit from Santa Claus.

So the response of those members of Gala Bingo in Cowley Road, Oxford, to a plea for presents for children who must stay in the John Radcliffe Hospital is not only generous, it is immensely heart-warming.

A sackful of gifts is going to the children to bring a smile to their young faces. If joy and laughter are really an aid to recovery, then those bingo enthusiasts are providing both a tonic and good medicine.

This is just one example of the generosity of the people of Oxford, many of whom we are proud to know as our readers. Theirs is not just a once-a-year gesture. Every week we bring stories of their kindness. and compassion, how helping others is simply a way of life.

We are delighted to wish them all a Happy Christmas together with the hope of a peaceful New Year.