Readers share acts of strangers’ kindness

Readers have told the BBC about strangers’ random acts of kindness, following research that found people underestimated the good intentions of others.

In an experiment by the University of British Columbia, researchers deliberately lost wallets to see how many would be returned. Almost twice as many were handed in than was predicted by people who had been surveyed for the World Happiness Report.

Athena Rowley, 40, who lives in Ipswich with her four-year-old son Robert, was among readers who got in touch to say they’d benefitted from a random act of kindness.

During Halloween last year they went trick or treating in the Suffolk town and filled up a small bucket with sweets. Robert – whose cheery demeanour means he “makes friends everywhere he goes” – went dressed as the CBeebies character Hey Duggee.

After returning to their home, groups of older children came knocking asking for sweets. The last group, Athena tells us, were six teenagers who had dressed up and “looked very scary”.

Robert offered them the last of the sweets that were in the bucket. He also hugged each of them. Five minutes later, the teenagers returned.

“I thought, ‘oh no – I don’t have anything left,'” Athena says. “I opened the door and the kids were stood their with bags of candy.

“And then they handed them to my child because they thought that he might not have any more candy.”

She adds: “It was absolutely wonderful because teenagers get such a bad rap nowadays.”

Athena says their behaviour just reaffirms her faith in humanity and young people in particular. “The next generation has so much kindness and empathy… at some point, the world is going to be in really good hands.”

Her positive view of young people is shared by Jocelyn Tress, 88, and her husband Mark, 89.

The couple were on their way to the airport from their home in Fulham, southwest London when one of their tyres was punctured on the M25.

Given their age and the speed of the traffic, they didn’t dare change the tyre themselves, and rang the AA. They were told someone might be there in around half an hour. They feared they would miss their flight to Portugal, where they were supposed to be going on holiday.

Ten minutes later, however, a young man in a white van pulled up behind them on the hard shoulder. He said he had noticed them parked there after initially driving past them, so he turned off the motorway and came back to see if they needed any help.

“He quickly changed our tyre,” says Jocelyn. In the hurry she forgot to find out his name but did ask why he had stopped.

Jocelyn recalls him saying: “When I went past and saw you were in trouble, I thought, suppose they were my granny and grandpa?”

She adds: “He would accept nothing for his kindness.”

Jocelyn says there have been occasions when she has fallen on the pavement, only to be helped up by a young person nearby. “I think on the whole young people are very, very helpful,” she says.

The stranger who helped Sarah Marten, 66, was older but intervened at a similar time of need. Her story is from 25 years ago, but the impression it left on her remains today.

She was in the John Lewis store in Brent Cross, west London with her children to find a leotard, tutu and tights for her three-year-old daughter Emily, who was about to start ballet lessons.

Finding the right size and style had taken quite a long time. Her son Joel, who is 19 months younger than his sister, was not enjoying himself. “Because he was so young, it had been quite a stressful morning to be honest,” Sarah tells us. “He was ready to get back in the car.”

At the till, Sarah’s debit card was declined by her bank. She had neither a credit card nor enough cash with her to make the purchase. After such a trying morning, and with her children now desperate to go home, Sarah became upset.

Then a man behind her in the queue stepped forward and asked her how much money she needed.

He opened his wallet and insisted he pay for the ballerina clothes.

He gave her £40. “That was quite a lot back then,” says Sarah. “I was very surprised that somebody would do something like that and not expect the money back.”

Though Sarah did write down his address and sent him the money shortly afterwards.

“I remember him being really charming and very kind,” she says. “I have actually told other people that he was an angel for me in those circumstances.”

Sarah, whose children are now musicians, says remembering that act of kindness and hearing of similar deeds helps restore her faith in human nature.