Free chips for the neighbours
THE HALIFAX HAS BEEN SHINING A LIGHT ON THE SMALL ACTS OF NEIGHBOURLY KINDNESS HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY – AND IT HAS FOUND SOME TRULY INSPIRING STORIES…
GOOD neighbours have never been more needed, or more appreciated, than they have been in 2020.
Even the smallest acts of neighbourly kindness have made a real difference to so many people’s lives this year, which is why the Halifax is helping to say the biggest of thank yous.
Local lockdown heroes have gone above and beyond to keep our communities going in uncertain times and now we’re shining a welldeserved spotlight on them by celebrating Britain’s Best Neighbours.
We partnered with the Halifax to find Britain’s Best Neighbours, in villages, towns and cities across the country, inviting people to nominate those who have stepped up to support others. Every winner receives £1,000 in Love to Shop vouchers and their nominator gets £250 worth.
And what we’ve found are some truly inspirational stories.
Being a good neighbour doesn’t have to mean organising something for an entire street or community – it could just be one neighbour helping out another; just a knock on the door for a chat to prevent an older person feeling lonely, or extra shopping trips for people who’ve had to isolate and struggled to get what they need.
And the fun stuff counts just as
much – the socially distanced street dance-offs, or online quizzes getting everyone together. Things like that can bring a smile and make someone’s day – especially when life is difficult.
Research conducted by the Halifax showed seven out of ten of us believe that good neighbours have a positive impact on our mental health, and a
quarter say they’ve improved their relationship with neighbours since the pandemic began.
Britain’s Best Neighbours celebrates our local heroes when they’re more needed than ever.
Here are just a few of our favourites, revealing what they did to share some kindness in their communities and why it has mattered so much…
Matilda Hume jokes that living next door to Robert Hatt is like living every Northerner’s dream!
Robert and his wife Helena aren’t just neighbours to Matilda and her mum Sophia; they also run the award-winning village chip shop Tony’s Fish & Chips.
And, when it’s time for the kind Sheffield couple to hang up the “closed” sign at the shop, they never hesitate to share any extra portions with friends living nearby. “Robert always pops round with free leftover chips for us and fishcakes for our dogs,” says Matilda.
“We’re doing a lot of work renovating our house, and there’s been quite a few times when we’ve accidentally knocked through to theirs and had to go round and fix it!” she laughs. “But they’re always so nice about it. They get along with everyone.”
The 18-year-old nominated Robert because he’s not only generous to them, he’s a big-hearted part of their community in other ways too.
Robert has worked at Tony’s in Mosborough for 40 years and owned it since 2002. He regularly