Tomorrow is World Kindness Day and we’re taking the opportunity to celebrate acts of kindness in the county.
The day stems from the World Kindness Movement and is celebrated all over the globe on November 13. Its purpose is to highlight the importance of random acts of kindness and the chain of paying it forward.
John Kane, chairman of Parkinson's UK's West Cumbria branch, receives the kind gift of £151.78 from members of the Whitehaven Country Market (Image: Newsquest)
World Kindness Day encourages people to be kind to each other and thus spread kindness in their communities since it has been proven that when we witness people doing something kind, we are more likely to do something nice for others ourselves.
Morrisons in Carlisle kindly hosted Crown Newlaithes FC under 12 girls for a fundraising bag pack (Image: Newsquest)
The day was established in 1998 by a coalition of NGOs from various countries, known as the World Kindness Movement. Their goal for the creation of this day was to “highlight good deeds in the community by focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us all”.
Although World Kindness Day is observed all around the world, it is still an unofficial holiday, waiting to be recognised by the United Nations.
The World Kindness Movement was founded in 1997 at a Tokyo convention attended by several NGOs from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Aiden Monk of Lovingly Artisan offered Lee Howard of Ginger Bakers (pictured) the use of his bakery after his home and business were flooded (Image: Newsquest)
It consisted of organisations whose purpose was to spread kindness in society, with the coalition that was to become the World Kindness Movement pledging to build a kinder world together. The organisation registered as an official NGO in 2019.
It holds that when people are encouraged to perform random acts of kindness, a chain begins to form, where people witness others being kind and decide to perform kind acts themselves.
Alistair Grey from the Transport Heritage Group donated a bus to Tesco Workington ladies and supporters for the Race for Life (Image: Newsquest)
World Kindness Day reminds us that even by performing one small act of kindness, we have the power to seriously impact someone else’s life. If someone is having a bad day, even a smile or a kind word from a stranger might make them feel better. By always striving to be kind to others, we are helping make the world a better, and happier place.
Cumbrians have always been renowned for their kindness and our pictures show just a few examples of this, including when the community has rallied to support flood victims.
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