Homelessness and hunger bring shame to us all
This week's cold snap will have come as a nasty surprise to many people who suddenly find themselves having to turn the heating up, or put on an extra layer of warm clothing.
So spare a thought for those unfortunate enough to find themselves living on the streets in freezing conditions.
According to new figures from the homeless charity Centrepoint, about 3,300 people will find themselves homeless this Christmas.
Additionally, more than 1.4 million people across the UK have received parcels from foodbank charity the Trussell Trust in the six months since April this year.
On the positive side, both figures continue a downward trend of the past few years. And it is also true that many of those suffering will be doing so as a result of bad choices they have made. But it is also a tragedy that, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we still have so many people struggling to find the most basic human needs of food and shelter.
It is good that both the number of rough sleepers and those people needing foodbanks is falling. But it is a great shame that, 40 years since Bob Geldof was so moved by the sight of starving children in Africa that he put together a band to make a charity record, that we have yet to eradicate hunger and homelessness at home.