Christmas has passed, it's now a distant but warm memory, and yet again I have been touched by the numbers of Christmas cards with kind and affectionate words I have received.

It helped me, once again, to feel part of a much larger family, and reminded me that I am lucky. I am part of a small, slightly extended family with whom I spend Christmas, New Year, birthdays, highs and lows . . . but I also have a much more extended support network of friends and colleagues who help me do the things I do.

This New Year I have been counting my blessings and wondering how we can keep the spirit, and, dare I say, warmth of this past month going?

How do we all help to foster and develop a sense of community that goes beyond our own circle of friends and family? I think that I have concluded that it is the smaller things that matter most, that make the difference, like looking out for older people in the street, helping them by picking up a few bits of shopping when on the way to the supermarket, and picking up bins after a windy day like the one when I am writing this.

Doing little random acts of kindness is fairly easy. What is harder for me - and I suspect for most people I meet at schools, events, coffee mornings and constituency surgeries - is to keep the momentum going when I get home tired in these long, dark nights.

Winter is a difficult time to keep an eye on the people we stop for a chat with during the warmer months. But it is at this time that the most vulnerable people are at most risk of loneliness, isolation and worse.

Government has done what it can to recognise the particular perils of the season with its backing for the Warm Homes campaign, its Winter Fuel Payments available to pensioners and the £20 billion spent on public housing stock to bring them to the Decent Homes standard.

Fuel poverty, where more than ten per cent of income is spent on fuel bills, is a serious issue, particularly in the private sector where homes are not as energy-efficient. Rising oil and gas prices could put an even bigger strain on family funds if the weather is cold in January and February.

Approximately one in six UK households is unable to affordably heat their homes. Cold homes affect people's health and wellbeing and are linked to cardiovascular illnesses such as heart disease and strokes, and respiratory illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. The elderly, families with young children, people with disabilities and others on low incomes are especially at risk from the dangers of cold homes.

In this day and age no one should have to spend the winter without affordable heat for their home, and I hope you will agree that it's up to all of us to ensure everyone in our neighbourhood is OK.

East Enders are historically a caring bunch, and I know from the people I meet at community and voluntary groups, helping in classes, and places of worship across Newham, that this tradition is alive and well today.

If you know anyone who is in need of help to keep their home warm, please, make sure they know about the help that is out there. For grants for heating and insulation, call freephone 0800 3166014, or call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 336699 for information and advice on keeping warm in winter. Pensioners wanting to claim the Winter Fuel Payment can call its helpline on 08459 15 15 15 (0845 601 5613 for textphone users).

And don't forget to nominate for the Best of British Awards this year when the country will recognise those people who work selflessly for our communities across the country. Do keep your ideas coming, as we want to make sure the people of Newham get the recognition they richly deserve.

So here's to a happy and prosperous New Year for us all. Let's try to make 2008 the year we all go that extra mile to help and support our family, friends and the quiet neighbour down our street.

If you have any nominations for the Best of British Awards write to me at: Lyn Brown MP, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA, e-mail brownl@parliament.uk or call my office for more details on (020) 7219 6999.