In this two-minute read,
we share tales of triumph and generosity from around the UK.

Postcards
of Kindness

The
pandemic has been tough on us all, but particularly so for care home residents.

To
ease the sense of isolation that many people in care homes feel, an army of
postcard writers has sprung up across the UK.

Each
week, thousands of people write to people they have never met as part of the
Postcards of Kindness scheme.

Some
senders even draw or paint the images on the postcards themselves (flowers,
animals, and landscapes are popular subject matters).

While
the cheerful messages on the postcards delight the recipients, the images help
to evoke memories and start conversations.

To
give you an idea of how many postcards are sent, the Postcards of Kindness Facebook
group has 45,000 members, some of whom send 20 to 30 cards a week.

Shout-out
to Keith

Our
hero of the week is Keith, an intensive care nurse at Royal Papworth Hospital,
Cambridge.

Keith
stepped in to play hairstylist for a patient on his ward who was preparing to
propose to his girlfriend.

Jordan
Simon, a heart transplant recipient, was hospitalised on 22 December due to
kidney problems.

After
spending Christmas alone, doctors allowed Jordan a special visit from his
girlfriend, Beth Dodge.

Jordan
decided to use the opportunity to pop the question to Beth and called on Keith
to help him look sharp for his big moment.

“He
[Keith] was more nervous than me to be honest,” laughed Jordan as he explained
to the BBC that Beth had tearfully accepted his proposal.

Karate
King

We
didn’t know it was possible to compete in a karate competition remotely but, as
we learned this week from the story of Hampshire schoolboy Tom Klemz, it is!

Instead
of spending lockdown playing computer games or watching YouTube, 12-year-old
Tom has been focusing on his international karate career – from the safety of
his back garden.

Tom
has a fighting studio at his home (his dad and uncles built it for him), from
where he trains and competes.

So
far, he has high-kicked his way through 20 online karate competitions and is
now ranked second in the world in the Under-13 kata division (kata means
choreographed routine, which is something else we learned this week).

We
bet that when Tom’s school reopens, no one will mess with him in the
playground.

From all of us here at CWB Property, have
a good weekend. Stay safe, stay hopeful.