MEMBERS of a skills exchange project in Bodmin will be taking to the streets next Friday and offering random acts of kindness.
The Bodmin Time Bank was formed last year. Members do favours for each other without payment and they will be joined next week by the Volunteer Cornwall organisation, Cornwall Council staff and local church groups for the day.
Time Bank members will be handing out small gifts to the general public and providing free tea, coffee and home-made cake in Bodmin Community Rooms. They will also be visiting local shops and offices and leaving small gifts of appreciation.
Christine Pryce, the local Time Bank co-ordinator, said offering acts of kindness can be infectious.
"Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word or a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the simple act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around,'' said Mrs Pryce.
"The idea is to create a movement from something simple based on the notion from the Mental Health Foundation that doing good, does you good. Kindness can be infectious – if you are nice to someone, there is a good chance they will be nice to someone else – and so it spreads.''
Bodmin Time Bank will also be holding a book and jigsaw swap shop next Friday.
Mrs Pryce said: "Lots of us have books or jigsaws that are sitting on shelves or hidden away in cupboards, sometimes for years, always with the intention of revisiting or passing them on, but never getting around to doing so.
"Time Bank is about helping each other out, doing simple favours for each other and making new friends in the process, and people who come along to the coffee morning will be able to see what Time Bank is about and leave with a new book or puzzle.''
Nina Davy from Radio Cornwall will be paying the Time Bank a visit on this morning to speak to members and find out what exchanges have taken place and how Time Bank has helped the community.
