Flatman is back
In a world of ‘‘Trump, internet trolls and all this negativity,’’ who will save us?
Jumping gee willikers, it’s Flatman!
Christchurch’s caped crusader has returned from retirement and plans to ramp up his efforts to bring kindness back into the world.
The provincially-coloured, Lycra-clad super hero made a name for himself dropping care packages to students affected by the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.
After stepping away for two years to travel overseas, Flatman has ‘‘re-invigorated and re-sort-ofenergised’’ himself.
‘‘Any time’s a good time to bring kindness and generosity out into the world and in a world of Trump and internet trolls and all this negativity ... It’s my way of bringing some goodness back.’’
During his previous crusade for kind gestures, Flatman’s notoriety blew up and his role became more than just to help students.
‘‘It turned into families, visiting schools and teaching kids about kindness and generosity,’’ he said.
‘‘I still want to have links to students and I still want to be hooking students up with packages and things, but this is for everyone.’’
He wants to continue making a difference in people’s lives.
He will meet with the team at All Right? to look into how he could develop a programme to take into schools. It would reinforce ‘‘generosity, kindness and compassion ... but make it relatable and cool, in a super hero way’’.
All Right?, led by the Canterbury District Health Board and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, researches and promotes wellbeing in Canterbury.
It was created to help mitigate some of the psychosocial effects on Cantabrians from the earthquakes.
Since his return Flatman said he had made several visits, including to people grieving a loved one who died from suicide.
He wanted to reinforce that a small act of kindness ‘‘whether it be chocolate, flowers or a note’’, could have a big impact on someone.
‘‘It could just put a smile on their face, just for that day ... I’m not going to change their life, a chocolate bar’s not going to change their life, but it can change their mood.
‘‘It goes beyond just the meeting with that person, it kind of goes out to the family and it’s just really cool the kind of energy it brings.’’
Flatman would look for a mentor with charity experience who could keep him ‘‘grounded’’ so big ideas did not mean he spread himself too thin. He welcomed a villain or two, as long as it was done in a ‘‘fun, jovial, charity sort of way’’.
Anyone wanting to reach out to Flatman or nominate someone for a visit, could do so via the Flatman Christchurch Facebook page.
"A chocolate bar's not going to change their life, but it can change their mood." Flatman