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Welcome! For a while now I have been thinking of ways to actively keep the UK media module going with content that can be relevant to everyone. I found myself trawling through the usual doom and gloom news headlines, before stumbling across an uplifting article hidden away between the overbearing war and cost of living pieces. Before I knew it an idea was born to publish a regular feature celebrating good news stories within the UK and across the world, because right now we need some positive vibes. My goal is to promote 3 uplifting and positive stories to try and give your day a boost, and if it doesn’t, then thank you for reading anyway!



Joint Birthday Celebration For Lucky Lemurs

Edinburgh Zoo’s endangered ring-tailed lemur troop celebrated their birthdays with a specially made cake this week, made by the keepers of the wildlife conservation charity. The pair, born in February and March, were treated to a special cake consisting of sweet potato, leaf pellet and yoghurt cake with carrot ‘candles’ to top the cake.

Population fragmentation, due to human-induced habitat loss and degradation, is a major threat to the ring-tailed lemur. The species are also hunted by dogs for food. This conservation work is crucial in helping the endangered species maintain a safe habitat to thrive before numbers reach critical levels.



Man Gifts Artwork To Strangers After Sight Loss

A man who lost his sight due to an inherited eye condition has said making art and gifting it to strangers has turned his life around. Adrian Paternoster was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, or RP, after he noticed he was regularly bumping into things.

Since his sight loss, Adrian has focused on making art “to make other people happy”. Mr Paternoster makes no money from his work, but instead leaves his completed works of art near local landmarks for people to find and take home. He said sharing his work gives him “pure happiness”.

After the diagnosis, Adrian said his “mental health went from 100 to 0 in a brief moment”. His wife urged him to “mess about with the colours” after buying Adrian a set of pastels to feel better. “I said, ‘I don’t want to do it’, and I refused, but she convinced me to do it, and now I feel if I wasn’t doing art I don’t think I’d be here.”



Poverty Fundraising Goal Nears £1 Million Mark

Jim Manning is a retired council manager who uses his skills to apply for grant funding. The money helps the Whitton Youth Partnership and St Mary's church, which runs a warm space and a top-up shop. Mr Manning sai😛 "It's very much a team effort, but yes, it is incredibly rewarding to see the fruits of what you have managed to achieve."

Mr Manning and his team of volunteers are currently on track to reach £1 million in fundraising to help support one of Ipswich’s poorest areas. According to the Suffolk Observatory, nearly 40% of people living in the Whitton and Whitehouse areas are within the bottom 20% most deprived areas in the country.

"It's a long, slow process, but I'm blessed that I'm able to help by knowing how to fill the forms in, and I think that's half the problem."

Reverend Mary Sokanovic, the priest in charge at St Mary’s also volunteers alongside Jim, who are helping to pay for a specialist debt adviser to run sessions as well as hosting a winter warm space and coffee mornings. Mary sai😛 "There is direct practical help here. If you've got a family to feed before your next pay cheque comes in, you can get bread, you can get cereal, you can get something to have for dinner.



Hopefully something from today’s article resonated with you. It’s important to sit back and reflect with all the negativity physically and virtually in society, there are people and communities doing amazing things. I will leave you with a short clip from my favourite comedian Bob Mortimer!



Bob checks his balls

If you enjoyed the article then vote and share, spread some positivity!