As most of us get ready for a break over the festive season, it can be easy to forget that many across our region will be working hard to keep us safe and well this Christmas.
From nurses and doctors to those who sacrifice their special day to volunteer with the Samaritans and homeless charities, a whole host of people will spend Christmas Day looking after others.
Today, the Manchester Evening News is celebrating our region’s Christmas Heroes.
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These amazing people are just a small percentage of the hundreds of staff and volunteers who selflessly give up a day with their families to give much needed care and services.
Here are the heartwarming stories of some of Greater Manchester’s Christmas Heroes.
The nursing home staff
Lorraine Jarvis and Katie Spencer will be celebrating Christmas with residents at St George’s Care Home in Wigan this year.
St George’s will be able to welcome family members to the home - something which they were unable to do last year due to Covid.
Staff will be getting dressed in Christmas outfits and enjoying a party with the residents to help make the day special.
As a registered nurse working in the care sector, Lorraine has this message for friends and relatives of those in care on Christmas Day.
“Relatives are looked after, we make Christmas Day as special as we possibly can for your loved ones - they are our family.”
The hospital worker
Kelly Furness is a senior sister at the paediatric emergency department at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
She has worked there for ten years, and said that although the last 18 months have presented challenges, the work has been “rewarding and worthwhile”.
The team has plans to help make Christmas Day in the emergency department as special as possible for the children admitted. They’ll be handing out gifts, playing festive music, and giving them fun Christmas themed activities to do while they wait to be seen.
“Having the opportunity to work with children on Christmas Day is rewarding,” Kelly told the M.E.N.
“It's a selfless act, something that I can give back to the hospital, and make sure that the children get the best opportunities that they can, and the best experience while they’re in hospital.”
The Samaritans
Hannah Zatman and Paula Solomons are spending the day taking calls to the Samaritans helpline and answering emails from those in need.
Christmas can be an especially lonely or difficult time of year for many people, and these women want to make sure that everyone has someone they can speak to.
“Christmas has never really meant that much to me, and I know what it's like to feel really bad on Christmas Day, and it's so easy for me to just pop in here and do a shift,” Paula told the M.E.N.
“I think there's a lot of pressure for Christmas to be a really fun time or a really special time, and doing a shift on Christmas is a way of making Christmas meaningful without having that pressure.
She said she enjoys talking to people no matter their problems. “I can talk for England, so it's no problem chatting to them and I hope it helps on Christmas Day and with whatever they're feeling.”
The NHS doctor
Mariyah Ahmed is a specialist registrar in endocrinology and diabetes at Stepping Hill Hospital.
She’ll be overseeing several wards at the Stockport hospital, caring for unwell patients and making sure they get the care they need this Christmas.
“I do take a lot of pride in this work, and since I do, I'm looking after them as it is something that we should be doing,” she said.
“Even if I could bring a little bit of joy to their faces and spend a little bit more time with them, I feel that much will be much appreciated for the patients.”
Mariyah will be spending Boxing Day with her family to not only celebrate Christmas, but also another happy occasion - her wedding anniversary!
The at-home support worker
Jillian Wallace will be spending her Christmas Day with those who need some extra care and support this year.
As a support worker, she helps those who need it with preparing meals, personal care, daily activities and more, allowing them to be as independent as possible.
Jillian told the M.E.N that it’s nice for the women she cares for to have their usual staff over the festive period, and they try to make the day as nice as possible.
“They’ll have a nice breakfast, we’ve got loads of goodies in for them, we’ll have Christmas movies and dancing…it’s just home from home really.”
“I’ve worked Christmas for a few years now, and it’s nice because my daughter’s a grown-up and doesn’t need me as much now,” she added.
Jillian has worked in the same house for several years, and told the M.E.N that she sees the women she cares for as her family.
“It’s nice to work on Christmas because if they didn’t have us there would be unfamiliar staff, and it’s not nice to not be with your family on Christmas Day.”
The A&E pharmacist
Mazen Abdul-Latif is an A&E Pharmacist at Fairfield Hospital in Bury.
On Christmas Day this year he'll be working in the hospital pharmacy department to make sure all the wards in the hospital have the medication that they need for the patients, and advising nurses and doctors on medication queries.
Mazen said working over Christmas is important as patients get sick all year round, and he takes great pride in looking after people.
“This year of all years has been particularly challenging for me working in the NHS both emotionally and work pressure wise,” he told the M.EN.
But his team have supported each other through the challenges of Covid. He said: “My NHS colleagues who become my extended family can always be relied upon for a chat and catch up, and I love ultimately supporting each other so that we can take care of our patients with a smile on our faces.”
This Christmas, Mazen and the rest of the pharmacy team at Fairfield Hospital will be keeping spirits high with some Christmas jingles on the radio.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the NHS staff for the ongoing resilience and excellent patient care to which I'm proud to work for the NHS,” he added.
“I want to wish on behalf of myself and the entire pharmacy team a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
The homeless charity volunteer
Gary Willcock is a volunteer at Lifeshare homeless charity. He has volunteered for the charity for four years now, working hard to make sure some of the region’s most vulnerable people have access to food and indoor space over the festive period.
Lifeshare offers meals, showers, advice, and a space to be in for those who have nowhere else to go at Christmas.
“Our Christmas project is usually open for five or six days over the festive period, because there is a shortage of other charities working during that time,” Gary explained.
“This time of year, these people also want the opportunity to mix with other people in a safe environment.”
On Christmas Day, Gary and other volunteers will provide Lifeshare’s clients with a full Christmas meal, as well as entertainment and company.
“It’s like a Lifeshare family,” he told the M.E.N. “We don’t judge people, we just treat them like human beings.”
The pharmacy technician
Amber Harrison is a Pharmacy Technician working this Christmas Day at Salford Royal Hospital.
At a time when hospitals are full and nurses and doctors are under extreme pressure, Amber is working to take pressure off them by dispensing crucial medication.
“It’s really important that we continue to provide a pharmacy service over Christmas,” Amber said.
She said the size of the pharmacy team working on Christmas Day has grown over the last two years due to the pandemic.
But she, as with so many others, is happy to spend her Christmas helping those who need it.
“I don’t mind working at Christmas as I have a very supportive family, and working makes you appreciate that family time even more,” she said.
“I will still be able to celebrate with them when I finish on Christmas Day.”
