CHRISTMAS is a time for giving, but in Allerdale the giving goes on all year round.

We have previously dedicated Nostalgia pages to charity but that is just because there are so many people doing so many things for other people that it is hard to ignore.

Something that has also been said before, is how the giving often starts.

Tragedy and heartbreak often force people into a corner where they can grieve in peace.

Not here! We know of one family with two children. The eldest had meningitis as a baby and although she recovered fully, the trauma was hard to forget.

Then the same family's youngest was diagnosed with cancer. On top of it all, their house was flooded and they had to move out for some months. What did they do?

They raised enough money to buy a holiday home where families with sick children could go and relax.

We have left out as many people as we have included in this feature but if we attempted to mention everyone we would need the whole paper and still not be done.

Of course, fundraising can be fun as the photo of the man at the charity do in the Railway Club in Workington shows.

There are all sorts of fundraisers. People swim, walk, run, cycle and more. We have even seen men trying to ride penny farthings across the country.

One of the most spectacular is the annual trawler race in Maryport.  As well as providing a wonderful sectacle, the race raises money for different local charities each year.

Teddy bears also play a major part, whether it is Pudsey, the Macmillan bear or Cockermouth School's Courage, the Barnardo's cat.

And we can't leave without paying tribute to Joss Naylor, the champion fell runner who ran up and down our hills as though they are just speed bumps in a road.

He is not only a champion in his sport but a champion at using his sport to raise money for charity.

Everyone on this page - and the many we could not fit in - share one thing in common. They are heroes, each and every one.