This week, it kind of feels like the whole world is starting to get on board with the good news movement! We report on the recently-opened Happiness Museum in Denmark, an inaugural festival of kindness, and the miracle dog that’s spreading joy throughout the world.
The Happiness Museum
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The Happiness Museum has opened in Copenhagen in Denmark, which is currently the second happiest country in the world. Opened by the Happiness Research Institute, the cosy exhibition space teaches its visitors about how something like happiness can be measured and why the Nordic countries are consistently ranked the happiest in the world – in addition to the politics, history and future of happiness. There are interactive exhibitions too, such as ‘The Anatomy of a Smile’, that will help to encourage those endorphins to flow.
Max the Miracle Dog
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You might have already heard about Max the Miracle Dog. The springer spaniel popped into Kerry Irving’s life at the time he needed him most. Irving had been left with excruciating back pain after a car accident and was struggling to even get out for a walk in his home of the Lake District. Meeting Max gave Irving a new reason to get up and out every day, and the pooch affected his outlook so much that he penned a book about him. Max gathered a bit of a following on social media, and people got in touch with Irving about how happy the pictures and videos made them, and sometimes opened up about their own struggles. Now, the pair have made television appearances and led charity walks that have raised thousands. The next chapter in their story is that Max might get his own statue! Stay! Oh…
Kinder Leeds
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Leeds launches its inaugural festival of kindness online this weekend, which will envisage what the world would look like with a little more kindness – from the very roots of being kinder to oneself, to how it can benefit businesses, communities and the planet as a whole. Events include talks on the uplifting nature of activities such as gardening and dance, stories and anecdotes from over 60s, and performances.
Ride for MND
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A Scottish man who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2018 completed the North Coast 500 cycle in just four days, raising £117,000 so far for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – a charity set up by Scottish rugby player Doddie Weir who also suffers from MND. Wine expert and author Davy Zyw rode the scenic, and incredibly arduous, route that started and ended at Inverness Castle with his twin brother and bunch of their friends. To read more about Zyw’s story or to donate, visit his JustGiving page. There are also colourful t-shirts available to buy designed by artist Luke Edward Hall.
Converse City Forests
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Converse, the iconic brand known for kitting out feet in cool kicks, has set up a brilliant new environmental initiative called Converse City Forests, in which it decorates cities instead. The company has already started work in Bangkok and Warsaw, where giant murals have been painted using eco-friendly paint that actually purifies the air around it. The photocatalyctic paint uses sunlight to help convert pollutants in the air into harmless nitrates – the Warsaw mural itself is the equivalent of planting 780 trees! New street art by local artists in our favourite cities that actually cleans the air? Now that’s cool.
Yes to the Dress
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A couple in Nebraska celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by donning their wedding outfits and having another photo shoot! Lucille made her wedding dress herself in 1960. A lovely reminder that some things really can stand the test of time!
And finally…
A man noticed that one of his little neighbours couldn’t resist riding his bike up and around his concrete driveway, so to make things a little more fun he painted a race track for him. The track ended up attracting more young bikers, as well as adult cyclists… and even parents with prams!
