Bristol woman marries Big Issue seller who saved Christmas

One of the best news stories of the year has to be the case of Jack Richardson and Toni Osbourne, who recently married in Bristol. The couple met in unusual circumstances, when Richardson was homeless and living on the streets. He initially asked Osbourne for some money but when she burst into tears, things took a different direction.

It turned out that she hadn’t enough money herself to pay the electricity bill for Christmas and faced the prospect of a festive season without power. Having a disability and being unable to work, she was finding life very difficult and needed a helping hand. Hearing this, Richardson decided to lend her the money she needed to keep the lights on.

Over the coming months, the two were drawn together by this act of kindness and ended up sharing a flat when Richardson was again down on his luck. A romance blossomed and the two found love.

They decided to get married, with Richardson proposing on the spot where he had initially come to her rescue. Friends, family, well wishers and the local church all helped out at the wedding making it one of the best news stories of this, or any other year.

 

Store manager offers job to man caught stealing to feed kids

At a Tesco store in Malaysia, manager Radzuan Ma’asan offered a shoplifter a job and refused to press charges after hearing about his predicament. He even threw in some money to help send the would-be thief’s kids to school.

The shoplifter, who remains anonymous, was caught trying to steal food and drinks, but confessed immediately. Ma’asan was so shocked by the man’s plight that he decided a different course of action was needed.

The man had to quit his job after his wife had slipped into a coma during childbirth, in order to take care of his three kids. Once he had confirmed the story to be true, Ma’asan felt he only had one option – to do a good deed.

That’s it for this month. Join us again in April for more good news from around the world, including the latest workplace safety stories, charity work and general good deeds.