Let’s make 2015 an unforgettable year

The start of a New Year is a time of hope and our world certainly needs a dose of that.

So, if we were all given the chance to make 2015 a great year, what would be high on your priority list?

There are all the big issues, from stopping the spread of terrorism to finding a cure for Ebola, wiping out world poverty and making the trains run on time especially during the holiday period.

But that ‘to do’ list is a challenge that politicians can’t quite hack.

Barack Obama started his presidency on a note of great optimism the first black president was going to lessen racial tension in the USA and, on his inauguration morning, the world looked a brighter place.

But one man can’t beat the system and at every turn the Republicans made it impossible for him to get through some of the most important legislation like the major changes in health care that he wanted.

I think he must have a real feeling of disappointment that he couldn’t realise all his objectives.

So I hope, before he leaves office, he gets satisfaction from one of the most important things he has achieved not just playing a lot of golf but being one of the least warlike leaders America has had in recent years.

Next September, our Queen will have been the longest serving in history beating her great-great-granny Victoria.

Since 1952, when her father King George V1 died, this small, indomitable woman has stood firm and steady in good times and in difficult ones, both for our country and her own family.

Whether you’re a Royalist or not, you can’t help feeling she represents stability, duty and service. These may seem ‘dated’ words but they matter. I hope she enjoys her special year in 2015.

And wouldn’t it be the icing on the cake if Kate and William’s new baby is a daughter perhaps Elizabeth to honour great-granny in the year she becomes a record-breaking monarch?

What else does the year hold? Another Strictly Come Dancing for us to enjoy. A third series of Last Tango in Halifax, which I love.

Hilary Mantel’s best-selling books Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies about the reign of Henry V111 will be televised this year it’s a great story of passion, love and intrigue at the court of a powerful king with a penchant for replacing his wives.

I’m delighted to see that Esther Rantzen has been honoured in the New Year honours list for her work with Childline and The Silver Line, a much needed charity for lonely elderly people.

Esther is now a dame and no one deserves it more. She’s worked tirelessly to help victims of child abuse.

Esther and her late husband Desmond Wilcox were a couple committed to reaching out to those who were vulnerable.

Now, as a widow, she misses him terribly and has tapped into the needs of others who want a bit of company. The Silver Line is in typical Esther fashion, offering a practical answer to the problem of loneliness.

More than anything, a new year gives each one of us the chance of a new beginning.

Maybe it’s time to phone that family member you had a tiff with. Maybe its time to say ‘sorry’ to a colleague for something you failed to do. Maybe its time to get in touch again with an old friend whom you haven’t seen for a while.

Maybe it’s time to admit your mistakes and determine to do better this year. 2015 gives each one of us a chance to look at life afresh.

It is a time of hope. Seize it with both hands and make this an unforgettable year for yourself and those around you.