At Mental Health Collective, we have started a new tradition, #GreatBritishValentine, to exchange kindness between strangers across the UK. Members of the public can sign up to send a homemade card with a message of goodwill to someone they don't know, and be allocated someone to send a card to them.
Valentine's Day is tough for many of us. The dark days of winter are dragging on, and it can be lonely feeling like everyone else is coupled up and lovey-dovey. Even if you are in a couple, Valentine's Day can feel like a lot of pressure. But through #GreatBritishValentine, everyone has the opportunity to make this a special time as we give and receive kindness between strangers. By exchanging positivity with others around the country, we are building a movement for connection and hope.
Giving a random act of kindness is good for our mental health. It's wonderful to receive kindness, but research has shown that giving kindness can give our own mental health a boost too! Whether you've been going through a tough time yourself; you've come out the other side; you want to support others - making a small positive gesture for someone else can lift our spirits and give us a sense of accomplishment.
Sending and receiving a goodwill card is a small thing, but sometimes small things can make a big difference. Over 1000 people have taken part in #GreatBritishValentine so far, sending the most beautiful, gorgeous cards the length and breadth of the country. People have sent blessings, affirmations, suggestions for songs and favourite books, and just simple messages of good wishes and positivity. There have been tea bags and coffee sachets sent through the post, so that the recipient could have a nice brew. Beautiful, poignant, heart-felt letters, with words crafted for someone to hold onto when life is at its bleakest. Funny, silly, cheesy cards, with puns and dancing pineapples. A handful of confetti, each piece inscribed with love and affirmations. A card with all the different meanings of love from ancient Greece. A card ordered from an online greetings card company by someone who is too unwell to get to the post-box.
Participants describe taking part as a really special experience:
"It was amazing to know that the card I've sent might have made someone smile"
"I loved the experience of creating a card for a stranger"
"It was such an eye-opener how thoughtful even strangers can be, when you need it the most"
"When my card I arrived, I burst into tears! It meant so much that they had reached out."
"Fantastic! Life-affirming!"
"It gave me a real sense of self-worth to make something for a stranger."
"So beautiful and moving."
"This was such a lift at a difficult time for me."
"I still have my card displayed now. It's so beautiful and humbling. I look at it every day."
When people feel like they are falling apart, they often think they are all alone. But we're not on our own in the world.
Kindness is out there. Hope is out there. As we send and receive a little kindness this Valentine's Day, we can be that hope for each other.
Our vision is to establish #GreatBritishValentine as an annual tradition, and to run smaller Kindness-by-Post exchanges at other times in the year that are nominated by the community.
We'd love your support to build this project! Thank you so much for any donations you are able to give.
£3 Helps us enable one person to participate in #GreatBritishValentine
£5 Helps us organise back-up cards for two people who haven't received cards in the original exchange
£10 Helps us build stronger systems so more people can exchange #GreatBritishValentine in the future