Easter egg surprise brings smile during the lockdown
THERE is nothing like an Easter egg to cheer you up — especially when you had no idea you were getting one.
Some 258 households in north Belfast were delighted when a mystery chocolate-laden benefactor left the confectionery at their doors.
However, social distancing during these troubled times meant there could be no hugs or handshakes.
After leaving the eggs volunteers from Tamhi, one of Northern Ireland’s biggest mental health charities, rang the doorbells and ran away in traditional ‘knick knock’ style.
It was all co-ordinated by Mickey Meehan, one of the charity’s two full-time employees, who took photos and later made a video of acts of kindness. “We just decided to use our one allotted hour of exercise per day in a meaningful way,” Mickey told the Belfast Telegraph.
“We wanted to spread a bit of joy around our local community because there has been so much negativity and stress around coronavirus
“We had a little bit of money set aside and then the Co-op on the Oldpark Road gave us £60 so we went to Asda and bought a lot of Easter eggs and we dropped them off at random houses in north Belfast.”
Mickey said they got “tons of feedback” from happy householders who found the treats on their doorsteps.
“People had been feeling as if nobody cared about them,” he said. “But this put a smile on their wee faces.” Mickey added: “It cost very little to do but hopefully it has made a bit of an impact and helped spread some much-needed positivity around.”
One of the volunteers dressed up as a Power Ranger and another donned a Batman outfit while doing the rounds.
Fortunately the police, who were on patrol in the area, gave the selfless activity their blessing. “Can you imagine anything better than being a kid stuck indoors and getting an Easter egg from Batman?” Mickey said.
The video, which is accompanied by the song Lean On Me by the late Bill Withers, is attracting plenty of attention on social media and features several of the smiling recipients.
But did they scoff the chocolate before Easter Sunday? That is another mystery.