Care home residents surprise community with random acts of kindness

Inspired by Random Acts of Kindness Day, two care home residents from Berkeley House Bupa Care Home recently ventured into the centre of Hull to hand out bunches of flowers to members of the community.

Edith Smith and Tony Hugman were accompanied by Activity Co-ordinators Rachelle Wood and Vicky Smith as they handed out bunches of flowers at random, in the hopes of brightening people’s days.

The first stop on Edith and Tony’s list was Scrumptious Sandwich Bar, a local deli, followed by the post office and Diadem Medical Practice, a local GP surgery. Before leaving the centre, they also left flowers on benches as a surprise for passers-by, hoping to bring a smile to their faces.

Tony Hugman, aged 89 and resident at Berkeley House, commented: “I had a lovely day handing out the flowers, I had a lovely cup of tea at The Apollo and met some lovely people with the flowers. One lady even said it had made her day, which in turn made mine.”

Rachelle Wood, Activity Co-ordinator at Berkeley House, commented: “Kindness always comes first and means everything to us at Berkeley House. Edith and Tony have always been selflessly kind to everyone at the care home, so when they suggested we go out into the community to try and make people smile I was overjoyed – they’re both very kind-natured and it was lovely to see such positive reactions from the community.”

Sarah Ward, Home Manager at Berkeley House, commented: “It was lovely for our residents to go into the community to spread some joy! We have had calls from people who have got the flowers and they were very grateful. Sometimes such a small act of kindness is a massive lifeline for someone struggling, it can be a simple hello, a smile or just a compliment. It doesn’t have to cost a lot or even be a big deal, but to that other person it can be momentous.”

The team at Berkeley House are planning on more trips out into Hull to spread more joy and acts of kindness in the coming months, and hope that their recent visit to the centre brought smiles aplenty to the local community.

Berkeley House Bupa Care Home is situated in Hull and welcomes residents in need of nursing or residential care, including those living with dementia. For further information, please visit https://www.bupa.co.uk/care-services