Today is the last #FourForApril, but the good news does not stop there! Instead of four positive stories a day, we will be dropping the number, but hopefully focusing on more journalism sourced by ourselves. The plan is still to share good deeds by good people and general positive news on a daily basis. I really hope these past 30 days have added some joy.
Our final #FourForApril features the absolute hero that is Captain Tom Moore, once again, as his fundraiser has exceeded £30 million and the country has rallied together to give him the best 100th birthday possible. Also, Switzerland has announced that children under 10 are now able to hug their grandparents again, as they are start to ease their lockdown restrictions.
In other positive news, an Orlando tea company has kept workers employed after a ‘tea-p’ kindness package project, and Scottish charity Mary’s Meals, plans to provide meals to over a million children in Malawi and Zambia.
I’ve really enjoyed #FourForApril as it has shown just how much good news is out there and I look forward to bringing you more goodness. Stay safe 💚
UK honours Captain Tom Moore as he turns 100 and fundraiser exceeds £30 million
The UK has gathered to wish fundraising hero Captain Tom Moore a happy 100th birthday, as he has been made an honorary colonel.
Even more remarkably, this morning Captain Tom’s fundraiser for the NHS, in which he walked laps of his garden, exceeded £30m.
The efforts of the war veteran have been celebrated across the globe as it was estimated that over 140,000 birthday cards; currently on show at Bedford School where his grandson is educated, were sent to him, including one from the Queen.
The centenarian said it was “extraordinary” to be turning 100, especially with “this many well-wishers”.
Head of the Army, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, called Captain Tom “an inspirational role model”.
Captain Tom plans to spend the majority of the day self-isolating with his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her family at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire.
Tom was also made an honorary England cricketer by former captain Michael Vaughan and will be informed of his promotion to honorary colonel in a letter presented by Lt Col Thomas Miller, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, at his home.
A replacement Second World War Defence Medal was also presented to Tom ahead of next week’s VE Day celebrations.
This morning an RAF Spitfire and Hurricane flypast went over the house of veteran who served in India and Burma (now Myanmar) during World War Two.
The newly promoted colonel also celebrates his birthday as the oldest person to achieve a number one single in the UK.
His cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone, with Michael Ball, took the top spot last week, meaning he would celebrate his 100th birthday on top of the UK charts.
The country has rallied together in other ways to mark Captain Tom’s birthday which has seen many of the envelopes of the birthday cards he received, stamped with a special Royal Mail postmark, and even a special postbox in his honour.
Painted “NHS blue” and featuring a golden balloon and birthday greeting, it will be located in Bedford Road, close to where he lives.
Great Western Railway has named two trains after him and GB Railfreight said a 129-tonne, Class 66 freight locomotive would be named Captain Tom Moore, with the added inscription “A true British inspiration”.
Captain Tom’s initial fundraising target was £1,000. Recently treated for a broken hip and skin cancer, he set about raising the money “for the sake of the nurses and the NHS we have, because they are doing such a magnificent job”.
From us at Oh my Goodness, Happy 100th Birthday to this remarkable hero! May he keep inspiring many 💚
You can read more about the UK’s efforts to give Captain Tom the birthday he deserves here.
Switzerland says children under 10 can hug grandparents again
New social distancing guidance in Switzerland means that children aged under ten will be allowed to hug and visit their grandparents once again.
Authorities from Switzerland’s Federal Department of Public Health said youngsters pose “no risk” to elderly people because they do not have the “receptors” vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Dr Daniel Koch, head of the office’s infectious diseases unit, said: “Children are very rarely infected and do not pass on the virus. That is why small children pose no risk to high-risk patients or grandparents.”
Dr Koch added that many grandparents “live to see their grandchildren” and that it was important for their mental health.
However, he did add that such meetings should be brief and not involve babysitting.
The move comes as Switzerland has begun to ease their lockdown measures which have seen garden centres and hairdressers reopen.
You can read more about this lovely news here.
Orlando tea cafe keeps employees through ‘tea-p’d’ kindness packages
Kindness packages have started to appear in the front gardens of communities in Orlando.
‘Tea-p’ing’, as it is known, provides orange signs, toilet paper, and loose leaf tea to Orlando families in the form of care packages sent from loved ones.
Sparked by Infusion Tea owners Christina and Brad Cowherd, the project has helped to provide jobs for Infusion’s workers while spreading a little kindness.
Brad Cowherd told Orlando Sentinel: “We call it our little COVID miracle. We have been able to bring back all of our furloughed employees that want to come back. Everyone’s working that wants to be working.”
When Christina first hatched the idea about a month ago, the couple thought they might deliver 25 or 30 of these signs and “tea-p” packages, but the idea really took off.
Since then, the couple has delivered over 1,300 packages, and despite restrictions on delivering in only Orlando, the owners have plans for further distances in the near future.
Each delivery includes a sign reading, “You’ve been tea-p’d” along with the sender’s name, two rolls of toilet paper and a bag of loose leaf tea, weather-proofed in a plastic bag.
One employee, Lori Minor also told Orlando Sentinel: “It’s contactless and you can show some love to somebody.”
If you would like to read more about Infusion’s ‘tea-p’ project you can visit here, or to support their project, visit their website.
Mary’s Meals to provide food for more than one million children in Malawi and Zambia
Scottish charity Mary’s Meals is to deliver food to the homes of more than one million children in Malawi and Zambia.
The charity usually serves meals in schools but has had to adapt to classrooms closing in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Volunteers already distribute the charity’s food in villages across Kenya for parents to collect so their children can eat at home.
Mary’s Meal’s is now working to repeat the approach in Malawi and Zambia after reaching agreements with the two governments and community leaders.
Daniel Adams, the charity’s UK executive director, said: “The coronavirus crisis presents extraordinarily difficult circumstances but we are determined to keep our promise to the children who rely on Mary’s Meals.
“We have a long history of feeding children in the world’s most challenging environments.”
He added: “This has included delivering much-needed food during the time of the Ebola virus in Liberia and emergency feeding during famine in east Africa, as well as in conflict-hit South Sudan.”
Mary’s Meals feeds children in 19 of the world’s poorest countries.
You can read more about this story here.
Bonus positive:
This friendship sparked between Oscar and this postman 💚
Every day in April, we will be sharing four positive news stories in one post under the hashtag #FourForApril. Got any kindness stories? Send them in! We’d love the world to hear about these good deeds by good people 🙂
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