Smile Bags aim to reduce loneliness

Philippa Dalton, chairman of Bramham Community Action Group, sprang into action with friends and members of the group to deliver 100 Smile Bags.

Philippa said: “My car had a malfunction a few weeks ago and my friend, Helen Grogan, was walking by and as we had not seen each other for some time due to Covid and lockdown, we had a brief socially distanced chat.

“While we were chatting another lady came along on the other side of the road and asked if she too could join in as she had not spoken to anyone for weeks.

“When she then walked on after our conversation, this made us think about how sad it was that there were people in the village, of all ages, who were definitely feeling the loneliness and lack of human contact due to the pandemic and so the idea came to life.”

Philippa and action group friends set to work on putting together 100 Bags of Smiles.

Philippa added: “With the help of Linda Richards, BCAG managed to source Yorkshire Tea, biscuits, daffodils and we added to this a selection of lovely drawings from local children through Bramham Primary School, along with a small leaflet explaining the gift.”

Bramham resident Olivia MacCunn, who is in her twenties, said that she was left fighting back the tears after receiving a bag on a trip to the Post Office.

“The paper bags each contained a small box of Yorkshire Tea, some biscuits and a bunch of ready-to-bloom daffodils,” said Olivia.

“The sentiment was so lovely and touching. The young boy, handing out the bags to post office shoppers with his mum, added that it was ‘a little something to make you smile’.

“The act of kindness was so sweet and selfless I had to fight back tears as I made my way home.”

Philippa added: “To all of you who received your bag from either Team Philippa and Stan, Team Helen, Charlie and Bertie or Team Linda and Christopher, we do hope our Smile Packs did the trick and brought a smile to your faces.”

She added that Bramham Community Action Group is about the community and caring for one another.

Anyone interested in joining should contact Philippa on 07921 387751.