This is that time of year when we become painfully aware of what we want to change about ourselves. Traditionally, the New Year is a season of self-absorption. It’s all about what we can do to make ourselves better people. The result is that health clubs, debt counsellors, and the self-help section in most bookshops do a booming business. But we tend to forget that the people we respect the most didn’t devote their lives to becoming the best version of themselves. They devoted their lives to making a difference in the world… or in someone’s world.

This series ran during January 2016.