Hitchin Town FC club chaplain Rev Nick Smith has sent a New Years Eve message to us all.

Read on for his warm yet thought-provoking reflection as we all see in 2022.

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There are things about ourselves that we all want to change.

We might want to be slimmer, stronger, richer, have a better work-life balance, whatever.

New Year is a time when many of us set goals and resolutions to change ourselves for the better.

But there's a fine line between challenging ourselves to grow and making ourselves feel guilty and disempowered.

The slogan 'New Year, new you' is all well-and-good for advertisers wanting you to part with what little cash you have left after Christmas, but it isn't fair to have such astronomical expectations of ourselves.

Instead, something like New Year, small incremental changes gradually resulting in a slightly changed you' is more realistic and is also kinder to yourself.

Do, by all means, set goals and pursue resolutions this year.

But don't be disappointed with yourself if it's a case of 'two steps forward, one step back' rather than 'coming on leaps and bounds.

For football clubs and football fans, revolutions don't happen overnight.

So be patient and kind to yourselves as we begin this new year.

Be glad of the blessings you have now, and the things that you feel content with now.

And for those areas where you want to grow, take it slow, do the next right thing (for the parents out there, yes, that is a quote from the movie Frozen 2), and be gentle with yourself when you fall short where you want to be.

A very happy, hopeful New Year to you and all your loved ones.

Rev Nick

With thanks to Roy Izzard and Hitchin Town FC