Lonely Oldham pensioner’s Christmas surprise leaves viewers in tears

If you tuned in to BBC Breakfast this morning you were probably one of the many viewers left in tears from an emotional segment.

A pensioner from Oldham appeared on the show on Wednesday to talk about loneliness. Terrence explained that Christmas was ‘not a very good day’ for him, since his mum died 20 years ago.

Presenter Dan Walker was so touched by Terrence’s story he decided to organise a surprise for the Greater Manchester man – who had spent the last 20 Christmas Days on his own – this morning.

BBC

The pensioner would usually spend Christmas Day watching TV and eating a sandwich rather than the traditional dinner, and never usually bought a Christmas tree.

However, this year students from Oldham College brought festive cheer to his doorstep, gifting him a Christmas tree which they decorated together, before he was led outside to see the student choir singing Silent Night outside his house.

The festive surprise left Terrence in tears, as it did a lot of viewers. One wrote underneath the video on Twitter: “You [Dan Walker], are a legend. My husband and I watched this story earlier this morning and we were both in tears. You’ve made such a difference to Terence’s Christmas this year, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Merry Christmas.”

And it turns out Terrence is no stranger to helping others himself, as he volunteers for Age UK, doing home visits to see a 90-year-old with severe dementia called Nancy.

He said: “I love doing volunteering, it’s helped me so much. I used to always be on my own. I am giving something back, because Age UK give me hope in the first place.”

What an absolute legend! We all hope you have a great Christmas and New Year Terrence.