Dear Readers,
Firstly, thank you for your support and engagement this year with the steadfast journalism and stellar video content from our HuffPost UK team.
Our staff has been through a lot of change and transition over the last year, and we are forever cheered by our continued readership. HuffPost was one of the first digital-only news brands to launch in the UK back in 2012, and we’re so grateful to continue to operate as an independent publication, now under the same roof as The Independent as part of the wider Independent Media family.
Since I joined as Editor-in-Chief in January 2022, the world has only continued to shift dramatically – politically, socially and economically. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, to the transition ‘out’ of the Covid-19 pandemic, two British monarchs, four Prime Ministers, and the most recent atrocities we’ve seen in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon... the last three years have been intense, to say the least.
We’ve also experienced a breadth of unexpected cultural moments such as the rise and fall of Bennifer 2.0, the Saltburn candle and revival of Murder On The Dancefloor, the phenomenon of The Eras Tour and, let us not forget, holding space for Defying Gravity.
Needless to say there has been an insurmountable amount of stuff happening on any given day.
Our job and our publication’s purpose to help you, our readers, navigate WTF is going on, and how what you see in the headlines is impacting life in the UK, and what that means for your household and your family’s wellbeing.
As we head into 2025, there is a lot of nervousness.
Not just in business and when it comes to the economy, but the world in general feels as though it’s holding its breath. With the second inauguration of Donald Trump in the US and the aftermath of the UK’s health secretary banning puberty blockers for trans kids – there are plenty of reasons for folks to be concerned and anxious about the future.
But, as with any project in our personal lives that that feels too big and too scary – whether that’s having a difficult conversation or perhaps finally cleaning out the garage – the most straightforward advice given is usually: “start small”.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Even when things feel overwhelming and too big – as long as people are willing to help on even a small scale, there is still hope to be had.
When the situation in the Middle East continues to escalate and we hear more and more reports of innocent civilians and children dying – sometimes the most tangible thing we can do on an individual level is simply donate and give what we’re able to – whether that’s time or money. There are amazing organisations that can help you simply buy a family a loaf of bread. You can also always donate to the British Red Cross.
As we see our sisters in the United States lose their access to safe and legal abortions – you can help fight against the violence against women we see right here in the UK by, for example, supporting Refuge’s Brick By Brick campaign.
Even helping supporting causes that want to improve NHS maternity services for women and parents can make a huge difference.
You do not need to become an expert on every harrowing situation going on around the world – but if you want to help, focusing on what’s on your doorstep is a wonderful place to start.
For instance, what’s going on in your local community? Your local council, your school, or on your street? What can we do that is kind, supportive, and helpful for our neighbours? Our family? Those in our lives more vulnerable and less fortunate than we are?
It’s also worth thinking about if you’ve ever been in touch with your MP? And, most importantly, do you even know who they are? I ask this not to shame, but to highlight that we, the people, have more power than we think we do. And that sometimes we become complacent, and forget how democracy actually works, and how hard some groups work to dismantle it.
News avoidance and the rise of mis/disinformation are not unconnected. They both allow propaganda to run rife. They allow things to fester, and for men in poorly-fitted suits to rise and rise, while arm-in-arm with the billionaire du jour.
Science, fact and truth are all being eroded. Ironically, even a famous quote from Hannah Arendt about truth that went viral when Trump was reelected was actually misquoted. What she actually said about propaganda and facts was this:
The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world – and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end – is being destroyed.
I beg of you, please don’t give up on paying as best attention as you can to what is going on in the UK, and what is happening in the world at large.
Now, more than ever, we need folks to be engaged.
Observe and celebrate the good – and shine a light where things are most dark.
Although there are political moments and headlines that may make it feel like civilisation as we know it is over – it isn’t. Things are not completely hopeless. The pendulum never swings so far that it doesn’t come back, but that doesn’t mean you can sit back with your feet up until it does.
We must hold on to hope and the things we can control. There is still a lot we can do.
The world is still beautiful and kind and soft, but it needs our help.
Please don’t look away, please don’t check out and fully disassociate from what’s happening around us.
You are more powerful and influential than you know – in 2025, please choose to use that power for good.
With hope and kindness,
Cate Sevilla
Editor-in-Chief, HuffPost UK
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.