TV personality Jess Wright transforms Befriending group into a luxury Spa for "World Kindness Day"

Their visit to the cross-generational befriending group was to celebrate The National Lottery’s support of befriending services across the UK over the last 25 years. Since 1994 The National Lottery has raised an extraordinary £40 billion for good causes, including £850 million to directly help tackle loneliness and social isolation in communities across the UK.

The visit comes as research from The National Lottery showed the average person gave themselves a ‘kindness’ rating of 7.3 out of 10, with one in ten (14%) rating themselves as 10/10.

However, despite these high ratings, it’s clear that most of us also think we could do more – in fact, over half of us (52%) admit we could be kinder to others in our day-to-day lives while just three in ten (29%) are adamant they couldn’t do more.

In the survey of 2,000 adults, almost two thirds (63%) admitted they could be better at staying in touch with people they haven’t seen for a while, while 53% of people agreed they could make more time for close family and friends. Over a third (35%) felt they could be kinder in their day to day life by helping more isolated or vulnerable people in their community.

Meanwhile, 4 in 5 people said they often carry out a random act of kindness for someone they don’t know – but only 49% said that strangers often carry out random acts of kindness for them in return.

To mark World Kindness Day, members of the Warm and Toasty club were treated with the surprise act of kindness during one of their regular Memory Afternoons, in which guests share happy memories of their lives and take part in activities to support them in building connections and boosting their self-worth and confidence.

Alongside a team of helpers, Jess and Carol helped turn the Warm and Toasty Club into a luxury spa for the day - with face masks, manicures, hand massages, and tasty treats for the guests. While the guests got pampered, Jess and Carol joined the group to share some of their fondest memories and childhood photos as part of the group’s Memory Afternoon session.

After a couple of hours of spa treatments, non-stop laughing and revelling in the stories from everyone's past, Jess Wright said:

“What better way to mark World Kindness Day than to spend quality time with this amazing group of people, alongside my mum - it’s been so good for the soul.

“Kindness is underrated – there are things we can all do to make a difference to someone’s day. Loneliness and isolation affect so many people of all ages, and initiatives like this, funded by The National Lottery have helped many thousands to meet new people and make friends. Sometimes all it takes are a few kind words, a cup of tea or a bit of a pampering to show someone that they matter.”

According to Age UK. 1.2 million older people in England are ‘chronically lonely’, and 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with friends or family for a month.

The Memory Afternoons, run by the Warm and Toasty Club, are just one of more than 11,650 befriending projects across the UK which The National Lottery has funded to provide companionship for people affected by social isolation, and those in older age.

The project was formed five years ago by Johnno Casson. After being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and forced to rethink his life, Johnno decided to create the cross-generational community group.

Jan Vernon, a 74-year-old resident of Enoch House, a sheltered housing facility in Colchester, is a regular at Warm and Toasty. Her best friend Carol Round, 73, introduced her to the club, and nowadays the two women are inseparable.

Jan said:

“I’ve never been on a spa day but it was amazing to have this experience with all my closest friends and made us feel really special. I used to be shy and nervous but when I come to a Memory Afternoon at the Warm and Toasty Club it helps me stop worrying about the past. I’ve made new friends and I’m making new memories.

“Every week, me and Carol say to each other, “It’s Warm and Toasty tomorrow”. It lifts our spirits so high. We’ve never missed a session and it always makes us feel 100 per cent better.”

To mark World Kindness Day, Jess and Carol Wright have also shared some top tips on simple acts of kindness that we can all do.

Jess and Carol’s top kindness tips include:

Don’t lose touch with the people around you. Call a family member or friend you haven’t seen in a while and see how they are. We always call each other as much as possible to hear what’s new.

Send texts to three people you care about letting them know that you’re thinking about them. We all spend so much time on our phones, so why not take a second to spread some kindness while you’re at it!

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself. It’s incredibly hard to be compassionate to others if you aren’t treating yourself fairly, and so often we’re too hard on ourselves. Self-care is so important.

Sign up to volunteer at a local befriending project – just like the Warm and Toasty Club. The National Lottery funds thousands of these across the UK and you can brighten someone’s day by offering companionship.

Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has had on your community over the past 25 years by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the 25th hashtag: #NationalLottery25.