‘Has a complete stranger ever done something unexpectedly kind for you?’ – 21 incredible acts of generosity that will restore your faith in the human race

We seem to hear and see a lot about how awful other people are nowadays. You only have to open up any of the myriad social media apps to witness somebody have a huge moan about somebody else.

So when we hear about people being nice to each other, it’s a real mental and emotional palette cleanser. There are still plenty of good folk out there, they just don’t get the rage bait clicks the bad ones do.

They’ve been reminding each other of the essential goodness of human nature on the AskUK subreddit after Redeemed_Mess84 shared their own experience of someone being a genuine good egg…

Has a complete stranger ever done something unexpectedly kind for you?

I ordered a new duvet online recently. It didn’t turn up on the day it was due, but the tracking said it had been delivered. I assumed it had gone missing and was going to chase the retailer the next day.

Then there was a knock at the door. A bloke I’d never seen before was standing there with my duvet. He’d found it lying in the middle of the road about two miles away, spotted the address label on the packaging, and gone out of his way to bring it to me.

It wasn’t anything particularly valuable — just one of those duvets rolled up in a big plastic wrapper — and I probably wouldn’t have been that bothered if it had disappeared. But the fact that a complete stranger saw it, picked it up, and made the effort to drive it over really stuck with me. There was absolutely nothing in it for him. He was just being decent.

It got me wondering how often this sort of thing happens without anyone really hearing about it.
So, what’s a random act of kindness you’ve experienced from a complete stranger? Big or small — I’d genuinely like to hear them.

Plenty of people were only too keen to chip in with their own heartwarming stories. Check these out…

1.

‘I was having a horrendous day when my daughter was very small (think about 3 months old). Docs had messed up when her vaccination appointment was and I didn’t drive so I’d walked all the way there only to find I had no appointment. I’d had virtually no sleep, was feeling all the post artum shit etc etc, and popped into a local cafe I’d never been to before on the way home in the hopes of being able to neck a quick coffee and feed aforementioned small human.

Owner walked up to my table and instead of taking my order just presented me with the most decadent hot chocolate I’ve ever seen. Said it was on the house. I must have looked like I needed it and I promptly burst into tears which woke up the baby. She took her and walked around the cafe with her whilst I had a blissful ten minutes with that hot chocolate. I have never, ever forgotten that.’
–_oh_for_fox_sake_

2.

‘I had my handbag swiped off my arm at 1.30am on my way home through East London about ten years ago. I used my very loud voice to shout obscenities at the oik that had run past me whisking it off my arm, two passing cars stopped and their male occupants got out and gave chase through the park.

A police car turned up about five minutes later saying they’d had a large number of phone calls (thank goodness for my loud voice), and then someone popped out from the houses opposite, handed me a mug and said “I couldn’t think what else to do to help so I’ve brought you a cup of tea”. So for every devil in the works there are countless more angels.’
–Willing_Bird8935

3.

‘I was visiting the UK for the first time from Australia. I was fairly young (in my twenties, it was 1999). An older gentleman across the aisle on a coach from London to Cardiff struck up a conversation with me and we chatted all the way until he got off at Chepstow. He gave me his business card (it turned out he was a doctor) and told me “Enjoy Wales, but give me a call if you get stuck.”

I remember that as an unconditional act of kindness to a stranger. I of course thanked him and sent him a postcard from Ireland a week or so later to reiterate my thanks and to tell him how much I enjoyed Wales.’
–Jolly-Syllabub-9811

4.

‘A stranger told me I was doing a good job with my disabled son, I was deep in the summer holidays and the tuts and looks were a plenty so it meant a lot that they said something positive.’
–ceb1995

5.

‘Yeah, paid for my daughter’s dollhouse at the charity shop that only accepts cash. I nearly cried and told her I’ll pay her if she sends me her bank details and she said no so I told her I will pay it forward instead. I have since given food to the homeless (meal deals). It was only £5 but that meant a lot to my daughter and I.’
–Rude_Trouble_4075

6.

‘I got stuck at Bangkok airport about 15 years ago, cards cancelled, phone out of credit and no cash. I’d overstayed my visa accidentally by one day and couldn’t pay the fine. A very kind check in desk guy paid it for me and gave me his email so I could repay him. I did email him when I got home and he never replied. I tried several times over the years but never got an answer. I think about him often.’
–Money-Pen8242

7.

‘Back in the 1960’s my grandparents needed a lane put into their farm in Ireland. The existing lane was collapsing and they didnt have any money but scrabbled together enough for the lane and appointed a contactor who laid a new lane which is still there today. When my granddad went to pay the contractor said he didnt know about the lane and said he couldnt find any paperwork for it. Despite leaving money, it found its way back to my grandparents and that lane was just a extraordinary act of kindness.’
–Spiritual-Suspect190

8.

‘I had my purse stolen out of my handbag, about a week later i got a letter through with a note saying someone had found a pile of random cards on the floor and one had my address on so they posted them to me. Very kind. Very sad about the purse though as it had a trinket inside from my friend who died, would have paid to have that back.’
–Positive-Mud-11

9.

‘I had an issue with my bike and had no clue what to do about it. A stranger pulled over who happened to have a bike and all his tools in his car, and fixed it for me at the side of the road. I really appreciated that.’
–SorryGrapefruit7391

10.

‘I went to pay for a pint, my card got declined. I had money in my wallet and before I even got a chance. Some random bloke slapped his card on, paid for it. I tried to pay him back and showed I had money.

I tried to shove money into his hand but he refused and I just asked “What do you want from me?” And he just said “Next time you see someone struggling, help them” and I’ve carried that with me. I’ve slapped my card and paid for someone’s stuff if I can afford it, the world is just a little brighter that way.’
–pacmanfunky

11.

‘This wasn’t in the UK but a stranger gave me ALL the cash in his wallet when he found out I was in the process of escaping my abusive husband. He didn’t know me, I didn’t know him, I never even found out his name. He spotted me hiding in the aisles of a store waiting for the police, asked the cashier who explained, the walked over, handed me the cash and left without a word. I’ll never forget him.’
–TroublesomeFox

12.

‘When I was a kid, I was at Coral Island in Blackpool playing on the 2p coin games, an older man dumped dozens of 2ps + mini prizes into my container and walked away before I could thank him. It was a small gesture but as a child, it made my day.’
–Easy_Mousse5167