Festive cheer: Oldbury company hands out £2,500 to strangers on street

Every Christmas Oldbury-based BCTG donates to a charity or provides toys for a children's hospice but this year staff were inspired to do something different – lots of smaller random acts of kindness.

BCTG boss Chris Luty gave five teams in his company £500 each and instructed them to go out onto the streets of Dudley and Sandwell and show random acts of kindness.

So workers at the company, in Taylor's Lane, came up with a wealth of ideas to give the money away.

Some went along to Sandwell and Russell's Hall hospitals and paid for people's parking as they went to the meter to put money in, others handed out mince pies and cash-filled envelopes to shoppers in West Bromwich High Street.

One team bought £500 worth of toiletries for two food banks in Smethwick and Dudley and then helped out at a soup kitchen while others have made hampers for the elderly and bought thermal socks, hats and gloves for homeless people using a hostel.

Shoppers on Wednesbury, Bilston and Blackheath market stalls were taken by surprise when some BCTG staff offered to pay towards their groceries – all as random acts of kindness.

Mr Luty said: "We wanted to do something different this year, lots of small acts of kindness both for people in great need and for anyone in the street going about their business. It has been really well received with so many people appreciating what we've done.

"Last week two members of the team were in a butcher's shop which was selling two Sunday joints of meat for £8. They heard a lady say she couldn't afford the offer so they asked if they could buy the meat for her as a random act of kindness. It meant she had one roast meal for last Sunday and another for the week after.

"Other members of staff have been in two hospital car parks offering to pay parking for people who are visiting their loved ones. Parking costs a fortune in hospitals these days and when you are stressed or worried about going to visit someone I think offering to pay parking puts a bit of brightness into someone's day.

"We also got some of our young people on our Talent Match programme to go out and buy £300 of food to make up £25 Christmas hampers, which a housing association in Sandwell will pass onto people in their homes."

Birmingham Dogs Home has also benefited with food and pet toy donations as have police dogs when one member of staff dropped dog treats off at a local police station.