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When we gave out free hugs the response was remarkable!

29 July 2016


Every so often at Neighbourly, the social team will sit down and decide on what we can do to get people talking, to spread positivity and attempt to bring people closer together. This time we settled on a sort of social experiment.

There is a common misconception about people, how we are isolated from each other and 'out for ourselves', but nothing about that feels like the truth. Given that so many terrible accidents, incidents and stories fill our social media feeds, it can be hard to feel positive sometimes but, it's important to remember that people are good, and that we are all people so we should do what we can, when we can, to show each other we care.

To say that doing this experiment/challenge was something I felt comfortable with would be a lie. I didn't feel comfortable at all. Not so much because I was afraid to hug a stranger, but more that I was afraid a stranger wouldn't want to hug me. What happened though was quite different to my expectations and we proved something about people. The only advice I would give is, if you ever get the chance, hug a stranger, make a video about it and share it with the world!

We did, and it feels great!

 

Matt Aldus | Social Media Manager