Having been brought up in the Christian church but not having practiced for many years, I admit that Lent has little bearing on my life. Friends say that they are giving up chocolate or cakes in what seems to be much the same way as people do at New Year.

I appreciate that this is something very personal and that many faiths have periods of denial. Asking someone to give up something for a period may be a private challenge, but for many people across the world the daily challenge is to find enough food to stay alive.

The act of denial may be character building but so is doing something positive to help others. With the challenges facing us all at present there have never been so many opportunities for volunteering to helping others.

Tricia Coll of President Soroptimist International of Blackburn