How small acts of kindness by a Brighouse nurse have been help lifting people’s spirits during pandemic

A Brighouse accident and emergency nurse is hoping her “small acts of kindness”, to help lift people’s spirits in the community during the Covid pandemic, will continue to spread and boost mental health across the region.
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Meet Lucy Moylan, from Brighouse, who has gone from initially wanting to bring some "cheer" to work colleagues on the front line during the pandemic at Bradford Royal Infirmary, by creating and giving out positivity cards in hospital, to now reaching out to more than 100 people in the community - with bigger plans in the pipeline.

The 25-year-old, said: "It’s been very hard for myself and colleagues during this time because we have been in the thick of it and we are still seeing it now.

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"I started doing it to try and uplift my colleagues really. If I saw them looking a bit down on shift, I would just get one of my cards out and give it to them and see their face light up."

Lucy Moyland, from Brighouse,Lucy Moyland, from Brighouse,
Lucy Moyland, from Brighouse,

Since World Mental Health Day, earlier this month, Ms Moyland, has given out more than 50 in her local community and in Huddersfield including to shops, bars and cafes, to help bring mental health awareness to the forefront.

And after an "emotional and heartfelt response," from the community, including one shop worker opening up about her children experiencing current mental health problems, and seeing increased incidents of patients including children, with no history of previous mental illness, developing serious psychological problems for the first time as a result of the lockdown, she has extended this out across locations in West Yorkshire including Scammonden Bridge, in Kirklees, and North Bridge in Halifax.

Ms Moyland said: "I didn’t think they would affect people as much as they have, to be honest.

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"Also at work people coming in, with mental health problems has increased. Sadly we have seen an increase with children as well, every single shift there will be one or two, suffering from mental health related problems.

"It’s really sad and definitely on the increase 100 per cent."

She added: "And with the bridge locations this was just in the hope that it will help someone if they come to crisis."

The paediatric nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary has also written a set of notes to tie around lamp-posts across the region, and is posting daily positive messages on her social media - including twitter.

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These include the messages of hope - "Never stop looking for the rainbow after the storm - the sun will shine again," "Hang in there, you are stronger than you think," and "Never give up, sometimes things are hardest just before they turn around."

Ms Moyland said: "I tied notes of hope and positivity and kindness in hope it may just help one person.

"Hopefully when someone walks down the street they will look up and see it and think - that’s really nice."

She added she hoped her actions would inspire others across Yorkshire to carry out their own small acts of kindness.

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"You don’t always know what anyone is going through. You could walk past someone on the street, who could be going through the worst time of their lives.

"Just a little card or a little compliment to them, or something little, can literally mean the world.

"Small acts of kindness can really make a huge difference to someone."