Scots called upon to ‘tak a cup o’ kindness’ into the New Year

● Tourism bosses launch ‘kindness challenge’ in honour of Burns

Revellers across the world will belt out the familiar lyrics as the bells chime in the New Year.

Now Scots are being called on to “tak’ a cup o’ kindness” after Hogmanay as part of a drive to showcase Scottish spirit to the world in the weeks leading up to Burns’ Night.

Tourism leaders have challenged people to commit a deliberate act of kindness every day from January 5 to January 26 to celebrate the poet’s spirit of generosity on his birthday.

Burns was a pioneer of the Romantic artistic and literary movement, which served as an inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism.

Malcolm Roughead, Visitscotland’s chief executive, said: “Whether his subject was a man or a mouse – or even a louse – Robert Burns had a rare talent for putting himself into others’ shoes and expressing life’s universal emotions.

“Indeed, it is because of this great man that we promise, every Hogmanay, to ‘tak a cup o’ kindness’ with our neighbours and go forward into the new year with a sense of belonging and hope for the future.

“We are delighted to be supporting this Kinder Scotland 21 day challenge and hope that many across the country will spread their #Scotspirit no matter how big or small the act.”

From complimenting a stranger or befriending a lonely person, to donating clothes to the homeless, the 21-day challenge aims to inspire people to be create a kinder Scotland.

In 2014, a poll revealed Edin- burgh and Glasgow people are among the most generous in Britain when it comes to random acts of kindness.

Further research from the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) in 2015 showed that Scots pride themselves on their generosity with almost 9 out of 10 Scots donating to charity.

A spokesperson from the U.lab coaching circle, which came up with the idea for the Kindness Challenge, said: “We tried the 21 day challenge in November 2016 in advance of launching Kinder Scotland 2017 and we were blown away by how such a simple intention could transform our relationships with ourselves, our environment and with others in unexpected ways. It truly is an adventure.”