Every other year, I abandon sending Christmas cards and instead donate the money I would have spent on cards and postage, to charity. This year, however, I’ve decided I want to do more. Following Hamas’ appalling attacks on Israel last year, the Israeli government’s response has resulted in unimaginable levels of suffering for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, and now also in Lebanon. The impact is as shocking as it is heartbreaking:-

• More than 42,000 people have been confirmed killed in Gaza, 44% of them children.

• Of Gaza’s population of 2.23 million, 2.1 million do not have enough to eat. One report (from a large group of American health workers based in Gaza) estimates that at least 62,000 people are already likely to have died of starvation.

• 1.9 million people in Gaza (90% of the population) have been displaced, another one million in Lebanon.

• In Gaza, food & water are desperately scarce and, in Lebanon, shelters are overwhelmed, with hospitals struggling to treat the thousands of people injured.

• Over 60% of Gazans have lost family members since 7 October 2023, and more than 24,000 children have lost one or both parents, due to the war.

• In June, it was reported by Save the Children that up to 21,000 children are estimated to be missing due to the bombing and the ongoing war.

• One in every 100 Gazans have a life-changing injury - these include serious burns, trauma to the head and spine, and limb amputations. Almost all hospitals in Gaza have been severely damaged, with 20 out of 36 hospitals no longer operational.

(Sources: DEC website; BBC News; Wikipedia; Save the Children).

I want to raise as much as I can for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), who have launched a Middle East humanitarian appeal, currently prioritizing Gaza and Lebanon. DEC bring together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of humanitarian crisis overseas.

So how am I going to raise some money? I have never done a dry January, so initially thought maybe I could ask people to sponsor me to do that. But I realised I’d be asking people to pay me to take care of my liver, after the excesses of Christmas. Maybe not!

And then it struck me – do Dry December! By not drinking for the whole month, I would genuinely be sacrificing something I would normally do throughout December - including, of course, the Christmas and New Year period, and all the festivities surrounding it - this year, including a few pub socials, a couple of dinner parties and a panto! Normally, I would partake in a drink…ahem, or several! My December tee-total self will be surrounded by people getting merry on the booze - a challenge in other words, but easily one worth doing if I can raise some much needed funds for people in a state of absolute desperation.

Please sponsor my Dry December and help me raise some much needed funds for people currently attempting to survive in truly dire conditions. Every pound raised will go to DEC, to help people in desperate need (plus keep me motivated throughout a very sober Christmas, New Year and rest of December!). THANK-YOU!!