Nursery children give out presents to Cowplain community in a random act of Christmas kindness

A group of kind elves from Growing Places nursery in Cowplain spent the morning dishing out presents on nearby London Road as a random act of kindness for people doing their shopping.

Wary reactions soon turned into beaming smiles as unsuspecting shoppers received a wrapped gift containing chocolate treats including Maltesers and Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

Stuart Ferguson, salesman at Envirodeck, was one happy recipient of a gift as the children knocked on the door of the business to wish him a merry Christmas.

He said: ‘It’s great that the kids can get out in the community and issue presents out to people, Christmas is about giving.’

The idea came about when children at the nursery were learning about kindness and thinking what they can do to help others at this time of year.

Carlie Powell, teaching lead at Growing Places, said: ‘We were talking about what we can do to be kind and the children said we need to give presents. When talking about who to give them to, some of them said if people are on their own.

‘It’s hard to teach them about kindness. It’s been overwhelming, you think children don’t grasp it but we asked what people would like and they came up with lots of ideas.

‘It just opens the discussion that some people aren’t as fortunate at Christmas. That’s what we do at Growing Places, teaching values.’

One passer-by, Patricia Anders, was overwhelmed by the gift and said it made her day and was exactly what she needed.

Amy Ambrose, nursery manager, said: I think teaching them random acts of kindness will set them up for later on in life. They’re surrounded by horrible stories in the news and this is to spread a bit of kindness.’

The children have been enjoying an intergenerational project this year, spending Friday afternoons at Wisteria Lodge care home to make some older friends, following the nursery’s ethos of kindness.

Growing Places Cowplain is located on the Cowplain School site in Hart Plain Avenue, and currently has spaces for more children.