What you can do if you want to help someone in need this Christmas

2016 has been a bleak year for some people, and as we approach Christmas, things aren't looking much brighter.

The war in Syria continues to escalate while nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated in buses and ambulances from a rebel-held enclave in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Closer to home, one in eight employed people in the UK are believed to be living in poverty.

And there's only so much retweeting a socially-minded hashtag, or signing an online petition, can achieve.

BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra has been getting listeners to volunteer as part of its #1MillionHours campaign all year.

So if you're wondering how else you can make a contribution to people struggling closer to home, or overseas, here are a few ways you can help out.

Take action about what's going on in Syria or Yemen

The ongoing war in Syria continues to make headlines and recent reports from Aleppo have shown that the war is getting more brutal as time goes on.

But there are things that people in the UK can do to help.

Tweeting about Aleppo won't help matters, but hashtags such as #StandWithAleppo and #SaveAleppo can help you find out where protests are being held.

You can also donate to help relief efforts to organisations such as Unicef, Médecins Sans Frontières or British Red Cross, all of which work to bring relief and medical aid to war zones.

You can also write to your MP and encourage them to support aid drops to people in the worst hit parts of Syria.

Give food or volunteer your time to some of the UK's poorest people

Eight million people in the UK are estimated to be living in poverty in the UK, such as unemployed people and families on low income.

But organisations such as Foodcycle (which feeds an estimated 37,000 people a year in the UK) aim to provide for some of the UK's poorest people with surplus food from supermarkets.

"For many people Christmas is a time of darkness when they feel even more isolated and alone," says Clare Skelton of Foodcycle.

It is just one organisation you can volunteer your time with over Christmas and throughout the new year.

If you don't have time to volunteer, many supermarkets across the country allow you to buy food and leave at a collection for poor people in your area, working with local food banks and organisations such as Fareshare.

Do something to improve lives for refugees in the UK

The refugee crisis has rarely left the headlines in 2016 and many refugees are facing their first Christmas in the UK since being forced from their homes.

Charities such as Oxfam, Save The Children or Unicef are working with refugees in the UKwhile British Red Cross and Refugee Action are among the organisations looking for volunteers.

The UK government also has community sponsorship schemes where local groups can help support the resettlement of vulnerable people fleeing conflict.

Buy a cup of tea for a rough sleeper

The life expectancy for homeless people in the UK is 47 and cold weather can prove a killer for rough sleepers.

Homeless charity Crisis recommends people tell Streetlink about rough sleepers or give them a hot drink to keep them warm.

"You can always stop for a chat and offer to buy someone a cup of tea if you feel comfortable," says Matt Downie of Crisis.

"A bit of human contact could make a huge difference."

He also recommends people writing to their local MP to ask them to back the Homelessness Reduction Bill, which aims to get the help they need, both at winter and all year round.

Make a phone call to a lonely, elderly person

AgeUK estimates there are more than 1.2 million elderly people in the UK with no family to spend Christmas with.

They look for volunteers to donate as little as 30 minutes a week to speak to someone on the phone who is almost completely alone.

They say no-one should have no-one at Christmas.

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