This year a Suffolk police officer spent part of her Christmas Day shift delivering toys and gingerbread goodies to children and staff at West Suffolk Hospital and to residents at a care home in Bury St Edmunds.

PC Emily Bean has chosen to work on Christmas Day in 16 out of the last 17 years and for the last two she has used her baking skills to share some Christmas good will.

Emily said: “This year I organised the children’s Christmas party at work and we had some presents left over, so I took them to children’s ward and handed them to the kids in hospital.

“The children and parents were so pleased. I also made a tin of gingerbread men and trees for the staff in intensive care and a gingerbread house for the accident and emergency staff.”

Emily, who works in the Neighbourhood Response Team in Bury St Edmunds, took a second gingerbread house to St Peter’s House Care Home, while there was also a tin of biscuits made for her colleagues working on Christmas day.

“The deliveries were all done on Christmas Day in the first part of my late shift,” said Emily. “I don’t have any children so the money I don’t spend on presents I spend on ingredients.

“I like to put a smile on people’s faces and show some appreciation, as we all like that. It’s nice to do something nice.”