Leicester Mercury

Britain’s BEST

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…

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom