Although there have been many stories of sadness and heartache in 2017, as the year draws to a close we at the Richmond and Twickenham Times wanted to share our 10 most heart-warming stories as a little reminder there is still good in the world.
The list, though not exhaustive, is a little taste of the goodness and kindness people in the borough have shown throughout the year.
Community pulls together after 95-year-old woman has life savings stolen
This is the story of how an entire community pulled together after something terrible happened to a pensioner living alone.
Hazel, who lives in Ham Close, was robbed of her life-savings when two men came to her house pretending to be from the council.
A devastating situation had a silver lining though when her friend and neighbour Kerri Rose set up a Just Giving page which raised nearly £4,000 for Hazel.
Homeless man rehoused after three years on the streets of Richmond
This is the story of how a homeless man in Richmond was rehoused after three years of living on the streets.
John used to sleep around the bus shelter on Pantile Bridge and during this time officers from the Fullwell and Hampton Hill Safer Neighbourhoods Team struck up a relationship with him.
On August 29, John told them he did not want to spend another winter outside.
He was housed on September 11.
The cutest pub dog in Britain has been revealed and he lives in Richmond
This one is just plain adorable.
Rudy, who lives in Richmond at the Mitre, was named the ‘cutest pub dog in Britain’.
And, we have to say, we wholeheartedly agree.
A 14-week-old puppy goes missing in East Sheen
This was another upsetting story with a happy ending after lovely and kind-hearted people came together to help find a 14-week-old puppy who was lost.
Angus, a labradoodle from East Sheen, went missing in freezing temperatures, but after the community helped his owners search for three days, he was found.
Commendable work from everyone involved.
Praise for superheroes who helped collapsed fan en route to Twickenham NFL game
Twickenham residents showed a non-local just how kind they can be when they came to his aid after he collapsed from a seizure on the way to an NFL game.
Garry Richardson had travelled down from Birmingham to watch the game with his nephew when the seizure “rendered him helpless”.
He couldn’t have been in a better place when it happened though, as he received all the help he needed from “complete strangers” in the area. So lovely.
Disabled veterans employment charity awarded £2.5 million
Although the UK’s growth forecast was lower than expected in the Budget, this story shows some good news came out of it.
The Poppy Factory in Richmond was awarded £2.5 million in funding- some well-deserved help for the charity which supports disabled veterans getting back into employment.
We also interviewed a veteran who the charity helped get back on his feet.
Barnes pub feeds 80 homeless people after snow stops charity game
This was a truly heart-warming story just in time for Christmas.
The manager of the Red Lion pub in Barnes had arranged to a homemade beef and ale stew to feed 400 football fans after a match for charity.
Unfortunately, due to the weather, the match was postponed.
So the manager, Angus McKean, decided to contact local charities and shelters. He ended up feeding 80 homeless people with the food.
Twickenham man who led UK’s response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma returns home
Did you know a Twickenham man has been leading the response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma?
Well he has, his name is Chris Austin and he just recently returned from the Caribbean.
We wanted to thank Chris for the amazing work he has been doing.
Richmond College makes huge improvements
Richmond College had some great news this year after its latest Ofsted reports was released.
Three years after a new principal and new management arrived at the school, its rating has shifted from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’.
Well done to all involved and keep up the good work.
Movie star Tom Hardy becomes a real-life superhero to chase and stop moped thief in Richmond
Who knew Richmond local Tom Hardy would turn into a real-life Mad Max when he chased down and apprehended a moped thief?
A witness said the Hollywood star looked like he “switched into superhero mode” as he collared the man before checking him for weapons after the chase. Go Tom!
If you have any heart-warming stories you’d like to share, please contact us: grainne.cuffe@newsquest.co.uk.
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