A litter-picking champion, two community food providers, a perfect neighbour and two remarkable young men are winners of our Christmas Kindness competition.
We launched the competition to celebrate remarkable acts of kindness across our communities.
We collected a variety of entries which highlighted the remarkable efforts of our residents who go above and beyond to spread acts of kindness and help support their community.
At one of the busiest times of year, we are celebrating the wonderful acts of kindness we are seeing in our communities.
Larry Jones
Larry was crowned one of our winners for being a neighbourly helper who goes out of his way to support his unwell neighbour and friend.
After his friend, Andrew, was diagnosed with cancer this year, Larry has stepped in to help support the family which led to Ros, Andrew’s wife, nominating Larry for the competition.
Larry said: “He’s been unwell, and she has long-term disability issues. But they’re just lovely people and of course, we try and help people when we can.”
Rebecca Shearing
Rebecca was left “speechless” after finding out she is one of the winners after helping her neighbour through her volunteer work at the Old Bank Community Larder.
Rebecca was nominated by her neighbour, Jade, because of her support for her family through tough times.
The mum of two, said: “Some weeks, I honestly don’t feel that I would get through my week with my two boys as a single parent without Rebecca helping me out.”
William Aitchison
A grandfather of seven, who has launched his own litter picking mission in Truro to help keep the streets clean, is also one of our winners for the Christmas Kindness competition.
William Aitchison, 81, wanders around his neighbourhood every week armed with his litter picker and homemade rubbish bag hoop to pick up any litter left after the bins have been collected.
“I like to keep our neighbourhood neat and tidy,” said William, who has a phrase ‘many a mickle makes a muckle’.
Carly Walton
A mother-of-one who supports a festive parcel project in Plymouth to bring some festive spirit to people in need is one of the winners of our Christmas Kindness competition.
Carly is part of an army of volunteers who will be making and delivering hundreds of Christmas dinners to the homeless and some of the most vulnerable people in the city.
The operation is led by Fuel Catering, a Plymouth-based healthy food organisation and volunteers will be peeling vegetables and prepping food on 23 December ready to feed around 1,000 people on Christmas Eve.
Matthew and Daniel Davies
Two brothers from Somerton, Somerset who both regularly volunteer at their church to help support their community despite having a busy schedule with their A Levels.
Daniel, 17, spends time volunteering at local charity shops and helps support a local toddler group every week.
Meanwhile Matthew, 18, volunteers every week as a maths tutor at his old secondary school and helps at his school’s open evenings.
Annamarie Davies, their mum, said: “They aren’t always angels but they’re selflessly getting up and doing what they can to help others and I’m not making them do it, they enjoy doing it.”