Christmas can be a magical time of the year. Delicious food and drinks and the warm fires and Christmas trees. The excitement of searching out that special gift and, let's be honest, the joy of receiving.

But it's not like that for everyone. Across Cornwall this Christmas there will be many families for whom Christmas will be painful. Making ends meet for the rest of the year is hard enough, but at Christmas, the task can seem impossible. The expectation, pressure and fear of not being able to provide can be crushing.

I've been moved by the work of Foodbank - the commitment of others to help and the very practical way they help to fill a gap. They don't judge but they're not daft either. Everyone who is fed will have been referred, their details recorded and their circumstances listened to. Foodbanks don't just give out food, they help sign-post services that might be able to help and offer self-respect by the kindness they show to who makes it through the door.

I'd love to be able to encourage our community to help all those who use the Foodbank in Wadebridge the chance to share in what we all take for granted at Christmas. So, I'm asking my friends, families and local businesses if they could help me to put together some Christmas hampers, whether that's by offering a non-alcoholic treat, gift, or better still, some money. They'll be full of things that we all take for granted, but sadly, that many people just can't afford to buy.

When we are all rushing around getting stressed about how much to spend on each other, wouldn't it be great if we spent a little less but gave a lot more.