47 h. ago The kindness of strangers: she gave me a pristine white handkerchief to mop up the blood on my face

I was visiting Naples with my daughter. Feeling exhausted after the flight, I tripped and fell face firstRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesYears ago I was visiting Naples with my daughter. On our first day there, she was itching to go for a walk down to the port, so we dropped our bags at the accommodation and set off to explore.I was feeling quite exhausted after the flight, and while walking down a steep cobblestone street, I tripped. I flew through the air and fell flat on the ground, face first. For some reason, the instinct to put my hands out to cushion the fall hadn’t kicked in, so I landed straight on my chin. I knew immediately that my jaw was broken – I’d heard the awful crack. Before long, blood was gushing down my face. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Woman touched as kind stranger records marriage proposal but makes odd blunder

A woman was grateful when a kind stranger recorded the moment her partner proposed to her - but when they watched the footage back, the person realised an unexpected mistake had been made

Politics

7 d. ago Kind stranger records couple's marriage proposal but makes one big mistake

A woman was touched when a complete stranger shared a video with her of the moment her partner got down on one knee to propose but soon realised they'd made a big mistake

Politics

8 d. ago The kindness of strangers: a glamorous flight attendant gave me her brand

I was in the airport bathroom, feeling tired and looking awful – not ideal when you’re about to meet your new boyfriend!Read more in the kindness of strangers seriesOn a trip to Cairns, I met an American man while scuba diving. We spent some whirlwind time together and, a few months later, I decided to go to Florida to see him again.It was a very long flight with multiple layovers to get there, so when I finally got off the plane I was feeling tired and looking awful. Not ideal when you’re going to meet your new boyfriend! Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The kindness of strangers: drunk, alone and lost, a legendary drag queen helped me get home safe

Looking back now, I can see how much of a vulnerable situation I had put myself in – but Nana took me under her wingRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI grew up in the English countryside, watching Queer as Folk on TV and dreaming about the day I’d move to the city and get to be part of the gay world. At age 18, in the mid-noughties, I packed up and left for Manchester, moving into the university halls of residence. I was thrilled.On my first night out, I went to a popular gay club night and got stupendously drunk. The university halls were only a five-minute walk away, but I was alone. Around 2am, I found myself propped against a wall outside a takeaway, unable to remember how to get back to my bed. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Mum touched by 'kind' strangers that offer to hold baby then realises who they are

A mum was on board the new Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas cruise ship when a "kind" couple stepped in to help her so she could have a "hands-free" moment - only to realise who they were

Politics

3 w. ago Woman gobsmacked by stranger's gesture after being quoted £2k for gardening job

A woman was left completely speechless after a kind stranger stepped in to help her out when she was quoted a whopping £2,000 for one very standard gardening job

Economics

3 w. ago Flight attendant reveals the holiday hotspot with the worst passengers: 'It was just absolute chaos'

Life as a flight attendant isn't all glamorous stopovers and perfectly packed luggage.

Events

3 w. ago The kindness of strangers: sobbing in a rack of bras, a grandmotherly shop assistant soothed me

Two months after my single mastectomy, I felt sore, sad and scarred. Looking for a suitable bra, I became completely overwhelmedRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and immediately had to have a single mastectomy. Told by the doctors I needed to wear very soft bras for a while, two months after the surgery I went to my local department store to find something suitable.I was hobbling around and feeling really awful about myself – sore, sad and scarred, and as though I’d never look attractive again. Somewhere deep in the racks of bras I became so overwhelmed by it all that I just broke down and started sobbing. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The kindness of strangers: as I was sobbing in a rack of bras, a grandmotherly shop assistant soothed me

Two months after my single mastectomy, I felt sore, sad and scarred. Looking for a suitable bra, I became completely overwhelmedRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 and immediately had to have a single mastectomy. Told by the doctors I needed to wear very soft bras for a while, two months after the surgery I went to my local department store to find something suitable.I was hobbling around and feeling really awful about myself – sore, sad and scarred, and as though I’d never look attractive again. Somewhere deep in the racks of bras I became so overwhelmed by it all that I just broke down and started sobbing. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Kate Garraway shares gushing thanks to 'gallant stranger' for his act of kindness after enjoying Wembley Oasis gig with her kids

The broadcaster, 58, took to Instagram over the weekend to share that she had been lucky enough to catch the Gallagher brothers' at Wembley the week before.

Politics

4 w. ago Coronation Street's Vicky Myers pays tribute to 'brilliant' co

Last month that viewers saw her character, DS Lisa Swain, attending her first therapy session with Floyd, played by Christopher Brand

Politics

4 w. ago Pissants by Brandon Jack review – is this novel a critique or a celebration of toxic masculinity? Even it isn’t sure

The former AFL player’s debut novel barely has a plot, following a group of aggressive, entitled footy players as they get wasted and treat women like propsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email“Virgil and Homer would recognise these hulking airborne men,” Helen Garner wrote of AFL players in her most recent book, The Season. As the celebrated author and footy tragic watched her grandson play in an under-16 league, she found in the sport “a kind of poetry, an ancient common language between strangers, a set of shared hopes and rules and images, of arcane rites played out at regular intervals before the citizenry”.Garner has enthusiastically blurbed the scabrous debut novel of former AFL player Brandon Jack: Pissants, a book mostly dedicated to the arcane rites that play out off the oval – preferably as far from the citizenry as possible. Whereas Garner lovingly traces the epic dimensions of teenage footy in the suburbs, Jack depicts AFL culture as a crucible for addiction, miso...

Events

4 w. ago The kindness of strangers: out of the blue, an older woman handed me a well

I was excitedly telling a friend about my resolution to read more, and I didn’t think anyone was eavesdroppingRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesA few years ago I decided to improve myself physically and mentally. I did that by setting a couple of new year resolutions. One was to exercise regularly, the other was to read a book a week. The exercise part didn’t go so well because on 1 January, I went for my first walk and stepped on a branch that punctured my leg. But my plan to throw myself into reading was much more successful.Later that year I was on a long train trip from Sydney to Melbourne with a friend and told him about my reading goal. I was pretty stoked with how well I was going and was excited to talk about it. I didn’t think this was particularly interesting chat to anyone else on the train, so I certainly wasn’t worried about anyone eavesdropping. Continue reading...

Politics