For all the challenges our communities and our country continue to face, one of the most heartening qualities of this time of year is the unity and optimism it brings.

Loved ones come together, communal traditions such as the Farnham and Haslemere Christmas Markets and Snow White at the Forest Community Centre are shared, along with resolutions, goals, and acts of kindness and giving.

For Beacon of Peace, the Farnham-based charity for which I volunteer as vice-chairman, this has been a good year. In 2025, we raised and distributed more than £600,000 to more than 65 charities and five local schools across Farnham, Haslemere, Whitehill & Bordon, and beyond. We have now donated more than £11 million to British charities.

But my most hopeful stories of the year are about our young people.

Miles, an impressive but quiet young man, has overcome many challenges and is set to flourish after finding his talent in cooking. His previously unseen quiet pride and growing confidence are beginning to emerge. It did not hurt that he was kind enough to offer to make me some delicious chocolate éclairs.

Ayaan, a shy Year 11 student, took to a stage for the first time before his entire year group, headteacher and visitors. He researched, wrote and delivered a passionate speech in defence of the right to peaceful protest. His personal growth and bold participation in a pioneering public speaking competition, designed to build the skills and confidence of 38 students that day, was extraordinary.

While these are stories of individual achievement, their importance lies in the insight they offer into our country’s future. With each step we take today to invest in and support our young people, we make a meaningful contribution to the strength of our communities and to shaping the national history that will be written tomorrow.

Of course, there are other priorities. Cost of living pressures are hurting working families and small businesses, local opportunities for further education and vocational training are limited, jobs are scarce, and public services and infrastructure are under strain, and in some cases non-existent. Global instability, injustice and foreign interference pose real threats. Reducing politics to identity distracts from these challenges and leaves everyday problems unresolved. My message to those who sow conflict and division is that history will judge you on what you have built, not what you have broken.

I believe deeply in our communities and our country. Especially at this time of year, my thoughts are with people who are homeless, families relying on food banks, and those struggling with mental health without adequate support.

We show the very best of who we are when neighbours check in on one another, share what they can and offer support when it is needed most; when we celebrate what unites us and harness our shared energy for the greater good. Loneliness can be a problem at this time of year, and stresses can be amplified when people feel they must handle them alone. By standing together, determined and unified, those stresses are just a little easier to bear.

Looking to the year ahead, I hope for a future built on compassion, co-operation and opportunity, where every person, regardless of age or background, is valued, respected and supported.

Merry Christmas. I wish you all a healthy, hopeful and positive year ahead.

Khalil Yousuf, former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Farnham and Bordon.