What acts of kindness have you experienced during lockdown? - £100 voucher to be won

There have been so many lovegly acts of kindness in my local area. People offering to collect prescriptions, and go shopping for others. Lots of people are leaving books, and items out for others to take as they wander by on their daily exercise.
One household have even created a lovely nature garden that is gated so safe for passers by, but accessible to view from the path. They have built a pond during lockdown, with lots of tadpoles, and now many froglets! They’ve busily built bug hotels, and homes for hedgehogs too. They even put out teddy bears enjoying different activities each day, (which I can tell you is a treat for all as we walk by, and not just the children being home schooled!) ?

There have been so many lovely acts of kindness in my local area. People offering to collect prescriptions, and go shopping for others. Lots of people are leaving books, and items out for others to take as they wander by on their daily exercise.
One household have even created a lovely nature garden that is gated so safe for passers by, but accessible to view from the path. They have built a pond during lockdown, with lots of tadpoles, and now many froglets! They’ve busily built bug hotels, and homes for hedgehogs too. They even put out teddy bears enjoying different activities each day, (which I can tell you is a treat for all as we walk by, and not just the children being home schooled!) ?

I tripped up on my way home after my walk on April 29th, I was picked by lovely neighbours. I sustained a broken wrist and two black eyes! My local minor injuries put a temporary plaster on and 10 days later the lovely neighbour drove me to the fracture clinic in her soft top car with the roof down, probably defying regulations, but I felt safe! I had a permanent plaster put on there. She is taking me back in her car next week when hopefully the plaster will come off. Really kind.

There is a bus once an hour to my nearest shopping centre, 3 miles away, with Aldi and a post office. Rather than ask my husband to drive me there and sit waiting in the car, I have used the bus and am usually the only passenger. I wear a mask while on board (as requested) and using my bus pass card is contactless. The driver now knows me and stops right at the end of my avenue, which is between the official bus stops. I'd better say no more, in case I get this lovely man into trouble!

Yes. During lockdown I was told I had Cancer of the throat & will need a moulded mask & 6 weeks, 5 days a week Radiation. Later I received The Treat Bag which is full of useful goodies for those being treated with cancer. Donated by firms arriving on my doorstep as a complete surprise with everything from a warm scarf to lip balm, mouth wash, pillow sleep spray etc. It made me feel loved!

I put a note through an elderly neighbours door with my mobile number on and asked her to let me know if she needed anything or wanted any shopping fetching etc. She was really touched and texted me thanking me for my kindness. I have offered to get shopping for other people too. It's not much but I am also in the clinically vulnerable category so am limited a bit in what I can offer.

There are so many kind people leaving spare books in boxes on their garden walls for people to collect

Our across the road neighbour who in 8 years we have only passed pleasantries with couldn't get flour and asked to borrow some - which I did without thinking. When she managed to get some herself the following week she baked us the most beautiful banana loaf cake - left it still warm on the doorstep - what a kind thing to do! She also now leaves eggs from her chickens on a weekly basis for our weekend breakfast. We have talked more in the last weeks than we have in years previous and fully intend to have cuppa's and catch ups when this is all over!

Very small thing but it made such a difference to our peace of mind and DH’s comfort.

Many years ago, DH was advised by his GP to take 4 paracetamol a day and added them to DH’s prescription. We said. “Don’t do that. We’ll buy our own. Don’t use NHS funds.”

Come lockdown and shielding (both of us) could not get any. Thought it might be short term. Who knew.

Neighbour Jon offered to get some for us. When we realised the shielding was going to last, we asked our GP to add them back to the prescription.

Jon said he would still get us some while doing his weekly shop. Only a few but just in case there is a hiccup with the prescription we’ll have a few.

And it’s on top of a long day. He works from 7.30 until 6 every day but still finds time to bring us a packet of paracetamol every Wednesday.

And we have a socially distanced chat which also helps my morale.

Thank you, Jon

I received a handbag charm in the post from an ex colleague yesterday out of the blue, just because.
Old school friends have been in touch offering to check on and shop for my parents as they know I’m 100 miles away.
This awful situation is truly bringing out the best in most people. I hope it continues and we don’t go back to our insular lives.

I am looking after my terminally ill mother and shielding at home. My daughter had a mental break down and is in hospital where we cannot visit. To top it all my cooker stopped working. I tried everywhere to get another one that I could afford but to no avail. My friend calls at least once a week to check up on us and she got me in touch with a charity, the kidney care fund, who sent a grant to me so that I could put it towards a new one. The kindness of my friend and the kidney care fund came at a time I was ready to give up and was feeling life was hopeless. In effect they were my light in the dark.

I have been regularly going to meetings in a local church before the lock down and a young girl befriended me there.

She now calls me every week to ask if I need any shopping as I'm in the vulnerable category. She shops for me and others and I think it's a very thoughtful and kind thing for her to do and much appreciated.

Hate to be negative but have not experienced any acts of kindness. We are both 67 and continue to do our own shopping. Perhaps if we were older someone might have offered to help. It's fine, we are getting by.

I am shielding and have been since March. I have relied on supermarket home deliveries when I can them and my medications being delivered by my regular pharmacy. I have really struggled to get painkillers as every time I ordered them from the supermarket they never arrived. In desperation one day when I was expecting my regular meds to be delivered a few days later, I rang my pharmacy asking if they could include some with my next delivery. The lady at the pharmacy organised for me to get some that same day, I was so touched that they delivered them specially to me when they must be so busy. So thank you very much Ormskirk Pharmacy, I really appreciate it x

My local library supplying me with books during the lockdown. Without those books I would have gone loopy, as I can't read my Kindle in the sun, so needed 'tree' books to be able to sit out in the sun, and I couldn't just sit out in the sun without doing or reading something. Needed the sun as well.

The little act of kindness shown to me sounds very materialistic after reading so many of these posts, but i have been helping both my sisters out with shopping etc. I had a broken clamp on my automatic vent in the greenhouse, contacted the greenhouse company who said they would have to contact the vent supplier. I said it would be as well if i did it myself. So i e mailed them as there was no reply to telephone calls. Well, next day I got a lovely reply asking for my address so they could post it. It just really cheered me up.

Big box of baked goods and teabags from a well known Tea Room in Harrogate delivered last weekend, as a gift from my DDs. They know me so well!

I’m on the committee of my local WI and we have a phone rota going so that each of our 38 members receive a phone call every week. It’s been lovely keeping in touch and have had more time to chat than at some of the meetings.

I haven’t experienced any myself, but am overwhelmed at the number of posts that I have seen on our local social media sites of people helping each other out - from small offers of help to much bigger things. Makes me proud to be part of this community.

Standing in the queue at the local supermarket (we were near the front) and a kind gentleman rushed up to a member of staff to alert them to an elderly lady near the back of the queue who was using a walking stick and not too steady on her feet. He forfeited his place in the line to get this lady fast tracked into the store. A true gent.

My best friend is looking after her 100 year old mam during this lockdown. She has their food delivered and shields her mam so brilliantly. Also she retired 2 years ago and now she is her mam’s full time carer. She never moans and nothing is a problem to her as she never seems to go out and enjoy herself or have a holiday (in normal times). Her one treat was to buy herself a little puppy which gets her out of the house on walks. I admire her so much and I know I would have cracked under the strain ages ago. I love to speak to her on the phone as her warm, down to earth cheery nature always brightens up my day.

We have joined a local Rainbow group and helped with fabric for scrub bags and handcream for nurses. Amongst local friends we have distance exchanged Books Jigsaws SR Flour etc . I have sent and recieved from Grandchildren cards rainbows hug ribbons and lots more. All these things bring a little brightness to a lockdown day .

We live in a large village and one day I had a call from the local community centre asking whether we were managing. I am one of the shielded and my husband is over 70. We had managed to get on line deliveries however needed help with getting medication and bits and pieces. We were allocated a young lady, on maternity leave after having her son, to help. She has been brilliant, getting whatever we can’t get, no trouble for her, at all. We also get vegetables delivered by the local farmer and we pay both via electronic transfer. So easy and safe. The community centre then phones us every fortnight for a chat and to see that we are alright. They have set up a brilliant system which works really well and we are thrilled with the contact and help, which we greatly appreciate.

I appealed on a local FB page for someone to take a parcel to the post office in the very early days of the virus when many people were still out and about. No-one local offered but a lady from the other side of the borough said she would be not far off delivering to the food bank and could do it for me. A Japanese young lady on her bicycle duly arrived to collect the parcel. I had directed her to the main post office but when she got there they had closed early so she took it home with her and took it to her local post office next morning, She then sent me a photo of the receipt and the offer of help whenever I might need it. What an angel.

Our neighbour , who is working, and has a vulnerable very elderly parent and a son to look after, is still thinking outside the box for the benefit of others. She has used her skills, time and access to 3D printers to enable face masks to be made for under-equipped workers at local care homes.