Some of the best things that happened while the world stood still

It can be easy to feel like this pandemic will never end, and, while the world is beginning to move slowly again, there are still many uncertainties in our future. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bright spots in the darkness. Tough times have a way of bringing out the best in human nature, and we’ve selected just a few of our favourite positives below…

Two pilots and a few thousand volunteers – airline workers on furlough – treated NHS workers to a first-class experience by setting up around 60 ‘lounges’ for staff to enjoy between shifts. Luxuries included handmade sandwiches, specially crafted sweet treats and, of course, tea and coffee at seat-side service. We love the ingenuity and kindness behind this project, and we’re sure the NHS staff do too!

When 92-year-old holocaust survivor, Dr Cornelia Vertenstein, learned that she’d have to cancel the piano classes she’d been teaching out of her home for more than 50 years, she decided it was time to get creative. With the help of facetime and phone calls, plus an iPad mounted so her students could see her fingers, Vertenstein continued lessons and even managed to hold spring recitals as normal.

   

“When I was a little girl I couldn’t go to public school because of my religion,” she said in her recital introduction. “And they created a little school in the basement of an old building which sometimes had heat and sometimes didn’t. Great minds and achievements came out of that school. Which taught me in any situation you can strive, learn, look ahead and have dreams.” ...Inspiring, right?

Many weddings and receptions have had to be postponed over the last few months but when Fiona and Adam Gordon postponed their planned 400-person celebration, they decided to use it as an opportunity to do some good. The food they had ordered for the party wasn’t simply cancelled – it was instead donated to workers at two Hull hospitals over two days, providing a special treat for their continuing hard work.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit many people extremely hard in all aspects of their lives, which is why mental health support is perhaps more important now than ever. In recognition of this, NYC’s governor Andrew Cuomo introduced a new programme that allows the city residents to call a hotline and schedule a free virtual session with one of the 6,000 mental health professionals volunteering.

As far as random acts of kindness go, one stranger in Needham, Massachusetts went all in when he bought all the flowers in Julie Ben-David’s shop only hours before their state- mandated closure. He then distributed all the blossoms to the town’s residents!

   

These are just a few of the amazing things people have done for others during lockdown – if you’d like to share your own good news story, then we’d love to hear about it too!