This is a resolution-free zone! I just want readers to know that they can approach this column with no fears of reading about the need to lose weight, stop smoking, stop drinking, stop wasting time and so on and so forth.

I spent the period between Christmas and New Year in the Workington office of the Times & Star and enjoyed having a bit of crack with other reporters.

By the way, I had someone in the Maryport office recently commenting that we spell crack wrong and it should be craic.

My colleagues, only one of whom was born within 100 miles of Cumbria, assured me that in West Cumberland it is definitely crack.

So, anyway, I did enjoy the crack, craik or craic with my colleagues.

At one point I asked them what they would like to see happen in the New Year.

One wanted Donald Trump to join the list of celebrities who had died. When I vetoed that she said she would be satisfied just to see which celebrities would perform at his inauguration because everyone was refusing.

Another colleague, still young enough to be idealistic, wanted world peace but only as long as he didn’t have to go out of his way to achieve it.

Yet another said she is going to run a 10k race but then admitted that she had not run since November 23. Good luck there!

What was the best thing that happened in 2016? The very person who wanted world peace created world war by suggesting that the best thing that happened last year was Newcastle United being relegated. (Don’t shoot the messenger, I am just passing it on!)

Trying to find something positive in a year overshadowed by Brexit and Trump seemed difficult. The Rio Olympics and Paralympics were up there with the best.

For those of us in West Cumbria, we had the pride of our wheelchair marathon participant Simon Lawson. His water supply broke at the very start of the race but he still managed to complete the 26-mile gruelling course in sweltering heat – a hero in anyone’s books.

Personally, a trip to my childhood home in Zambia was the highlight of the year, if not the decade. The place had changed so much – and not always for the better – but it was completely wonderful.

For some of our office the best of times was the worst of times – Jeremy Corbyn being elected Labour leader.

To be honest I found it quite sad that the will of the people was overruled by the Parliamentary wing and I found it almost funny that Labour was in such a spin because they had suddenly found themselves with a left wing leader!

We all agreed that one of the best and most notable hings of the year was that the families of the Hillsborough victims were finally vindicated.

There were the little human interest stories, too, like the woman in Yorkshire who was to be on her own for her 100th birthday. When this was mentioned on social media she received 1,000 or so cards.

It seems that, in a year where so much seemed to go wrong, there were some wonderful moments.

I am not sure what we can look forward to in 2017. Oh – Elvis would have turned 82 on Sunday, December 8. I had a very Elvis Christmas this year with a range of gifts from a watch to a tin and coasters, CD and a beautiful bag.

It’s quite amazing, really. This year marks the 40th anniversary of his death and still Elvis merchandise is huge business. Long live the King!

I would imagine 2017 will be much the same as 2016 with bits that are good, bad, ugly and indifferent.

People will continue to die in horrible wars and people will continue to be idiots and heroes and everything in between. It’s called being human!