Charlotte Gallagher
Correspondent and pesto lover

Many people dream of fame and fortune their whole lives, but one baby boy in Australia only had to wait nine months for international stardom.

Meet Pesto: the fat baby penguin and viral superstar.

Pesto the penguin stole the hearts of millions, me included, when they saw the chunky, fluffy and sassy boy waddling around his enclosure.

He was just a baby, but towered over the other penguins and weighed more than double that of his devoted foster parents, Tango and Hudson, combined. That was partly down to the 30 fish he gobbled down every day.

Pesto, who was affectionally called "an absolute unit" and a "whopper" drew people from across the world to his home at Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium.

As my colleague wrote in September, Pesto is now through his “awkward teenage phase” and has shed his beautiful brown fluff. Instead he’s showing off his black and white tuxedo markings and his new swimming skills.

Claire Thomson
BBC News Scotland

Image source, DWAS

When it seemed to them that young adults were lonelier than ever, a pair of friends started playing platonic-Cupid.

Juliette Sartori and Mary Yiorkadji are the Glasgow University students behind Dinner with a Stranger. They present potential “mate-dates” with personalised quizzes and then match them to one another depending on their answers.

200 people signed up in the first month, the pair tells us.

“It is really easy to get caught up in fake ideas from social media, which can cause loneliness and expectations that are never met,” Mary, originally from Cyprus, says.

“People are lonelier now. Our generation is lonelier.”

The duo has since successfully set up numerous friendships – including those who have become best friends, or even flat mates.

Juliette hopes more people will take part in this “fun experiment".

“It’s more of a modern way of making friends.”

Your Voice, Your BBC News
By Emily Doughty

Image source, Kathy Bamber

It's not a warm meal that brought people to Kathy Bamber's village church hall in Goosargh, Preston - it was company.

“People who were coming largely live alone and don’t see anyone day to day," Kathy told Your Voice, Your BBC News. She established the community space in December 2022.

“People have told me this is the only time they go out in the week,” she added.

Funded by donations from the community, afternoons at the church have fostered connections between the people who attend. As Kathy puts it: "You need mates."

Despite the kitchen not being built to cater for the numbers the lunches attract and the Christmas dinners they now run, Kathy says the community that has formed makes it worth it. She said: "You can see as soon as they come in their faces light up.

"We are in the kitchen and all we can hear is the buzz of chatter."

Image source, Lauren Kelly

The arrival of Wicked in cinemas has added a bit of magic to everyday life - but that's especially true for two girls who got time on the big screen.

Ten-year-old Karis said she felt like she was "in a fairytale" when chosen to play young Elphaba in the film.

Karis Musongole, from Manchester, was joined by her best friend, nine-year-old Harriet Ryan, who played a munchkin.

At the London premiere, Karis described Elphaba as "very smart and humble", adding, "because she's green-skinned, she gets picked on".

Harriet described working with Ariana Grande as "very magical".

Felice Southwell
Newsletter journalist

I help produce The Upbeat, the BBC’s weekly newsletter highlighting uplifting stories and remarkable people from around the world. Putting this newsletter together is easily the best part of my week, and it gives me a boost knowing that we’re helping to showcase inspiring stories.

As a disabled reporter, I've loved learning about the people making strides in accessibility and increasing representation of disability - like the dancer embracing life as a disabled performer who made her return to the stage, and the Norwegian news show hosted by reporters with learning disabilities or autism.

Finding these stories and curating our newsletter really feels like a rewarding task.

And in The Upbeat, there's always space for stories, podcasts and programmes that put a smile on your face.

If you want to get in on the Monday morning action, you can sign up to receive The Upbeat here.

Jess Lord
BBC News

Image source, Jess Lord/BBC

Back in April, I spoke to a couple in their 80s who have fostered more than 150 children and say they have no plans to retire.

Margaret Isdale and her husband Robert, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, took in their first child in 1978. They've been given a lifetime achievement award to mark their decades of dedication to families.

Asked how they continue to care for newborns, Margaret told the BBC: "I don't know! We just enjoy doing it, and I can't imagine not doing it now."

The couple, who have been married for 58 years and have two children of their own, are currently caring for a 15-month-old baby.

"Discussions are ongoing" between the couple, I'm told, about whether this baby will be their last. Personally, I'm not sure they'll ever completely give it up.

"Knit the tallest Christmas tree in Scotland."

That's the goal of Norma Johnston, who co-ordinated a group of Scottish knitters to attempt just that.

The community group in Edinburgh, called The Heart of Newhaven, unveiled a 16ft knitted Christmas tree aimed at bringing people of all ages together.

They told the BBC earlier this month that the project is an effort to tackle loneliness in people of all ages through shared activity.

Norma says the project is "a social occasion for people, but also a chance to be part of something bigger".

Volunteers have been meeting on a weekly basis to knit squares and decorations for the tree.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

In our newsroom, it feels like the day is escaping with no warning - just like the gasp from Today programme presenter Emma Barnett's mouth when Kate Bush spoke of her return to the music scene.

But, for you, maybe it feels like today has lasted years. Hopefully not as many as 57 – which is how many one couple had to wait before being reunited with their wedding film.

Rest assured, we'll keep the day rolling with some seriously heartwarming stories. Soon enough, you'll be prancing around, just like this Billingham lady blessing those on the school run with some serious dancing.

Coming up: a couple in their 80s who've fostered more than 150 children - and counting. And, a Notting Hill love story that doesn't involve Hugh Grant.

69 down, 31 to go. You're going to want to stick around.

Image source, Nene Valley Railway

Nene Valley Railway has spent decades looking for a missing piece.

The Peterborough-based railway heritage charity has been working to restore a steam locomotive called Derek Crouch. But for decades, a key part of Derek has been missing: a handle.

The Nene Valley team have been searching for the missing piece for decades. Until now.

In the run up to Christmas, they received a letter from an anonymous "repentant schoolboy" and package containing the handle.

Nathan Wilson, one of the charity's engineers, told us: "We found it funny more than anything. Completely random and out of the blue.

"If we knew who'd sent it, we'd thank them for returning it but also inadvertently taking care of it. If they hadn't taken it, it might have actually been damaged or lost."

Maybe Santa had a part to play in it.

Helen Gordon didn’t set out to become an icon, but on her way to get fitter she’s done just that.

Rain or shine, the 63-year-old can be spotted dancing down Whitehouse Road in Billingham, County Durham, during the school run.

Her daily routine has earned her the glowing support of a local Facebook group, where her fans describe her as “a total vibe” and “an inspiration”.

Helen says the pandemic inspired her to look at life differently, saying she’s spent the past four years working on "self-development and self-love".

And on her journey to self-discovery, she's also helping lift the spirits of the community one shimmy at a time.

If you're still looking for inspiration for your Christmas dinner, this man could well come to your rescue.

Yorkshire's very own superhero took the plunge into the region's favourite dish to mark Yorkshire Day back in August.

Yorkshireman - otherwise known as Josh Benson - jumped into a 6ft-wide Yorkshire pudding filled with 2,000 litres of onion gravy.

He has previously celebrated the occasion by diving into a huge mug of Yorkshire tea.

"You've got to have the right connections but when you're Yorkshireman, there's not a lot people won't do for you in the gravy department," Yorkshireman told the BBC - while sitting in his giant gravy bath.

Relive the moment in the clip below.

Emma Barnett
Today programme presenter

Image source, PA Media

Back in October, I interviewed the one and only Kate Bush, after sitting down with her (and her cat) to watch her new short film that has been two years in the making.

We spoke about how she works; why we all need to put down our phones, and then, when asked, Kate shared the big revelation that has seen our conversation travel far and wide today: she is ready to go back into the studio and make new music, her first in more than a decade.

And yes, as has been reported and commented upon, external, I gasped. Guilty as charged. Happily so.

It was such an electric moment and insight into a notoriously private artist’s thinking about her work, I am happy I reacted naturally and could share in that experience with our listeners. , external

Plus, it highlights what I love about radio; everything is picked up: nuance, tone, intonation - even the slightest raise of an eyebrow. And yes, how we breathe.

What a woman. What an artist.

Here is the exclusive interview in full.

Imagine scrolling through Facebook and stumbling on a photo from the wedding footage you lost 57 years ago.

Well, that's exactly what happened to Aileen Turnbull and her husband Bill.

The couple married in Aberdeen in 1967. Shortly afterwards, they lost their wedding video and could never figure out where it had gone. They emigrated to Australia in the 1980s, still without the video.

Fast forward to this year and Aileen was browsing Facebook. "Up came this wedding photograph," she says. "My husband was sitting here, I turned to him and said, 'there's our wedding photograph'."

It turns out the couple had accidentally left the film in a projector they borrowed from an old colleague. The colleague's nephew found the wedding film and decided to post an image on social media.

"It was absolutely amazing, I couldn't believe it," Aileen says.

Charlie Jones & Sonia Watson
BBC News

Image source, Nathan Jones

The art community around the world has rallied to keep one teen artist's legacy alive.

Noah, who had hydrocephalus, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy, was known as Background Bob.

From Dedham, Essex, he began painting on cardboard during the first Covid-19 lockdown when he couldn't go to school.

His dad Nathan posted on Instagram asking for collaborators, and street artists from around the world responded. The idea was so popular that the artwork was exhibited several times, and the family published several books.

Noah worked with over 750 artists worldwide, raising £250,000 for the NHS, before he passed away at age 15 in November 2023.

Earlier this year, Nathan said that people had been putting stickers of his son's "beautiful, fun-loving, smiley face" around the world. "It’s heartwarming to see on a daily basis and we are excited to see where he pops up next."

• You can read more about Noah's project

Tammy Gooding and Aida Fofana

It was all treats - and no tricks - on one Malvern street this Halloween.

When Tilly took her deaf daughter Ada trick-or-treating, she felt excited that her child could be included in the festivities for the first time.

Neighbours had learned British Sign Language (BSL), and placed stickers in their windows to let Tilly and Ada know that they could communicate. The street learned to sign as part of a national campaign.

Tilly told the BBC back in October that it was "lovely to be part of it and see the joy it's bringing".

Neighbours embraced learning to sign, with Jennifer Oakley telling us that "everyone in the world should be included".

• Listen to 'The country's first BSL friendly street' here on BBC Sounds

It's fair to say 102-year old Haringey resident Ann Taylor has seen a lot over the course of her life, and not much surprises her any more.

But even she wouldn't have predicted that five generations of her family would ever be in the same room.

Well, that's exactly what happened in June when she recently had a visit from her daughter Jill, 81, granddaughter Karen, 59, great-granddaughter Alex, 26, and great-great-granddaughter Delilah, three, when the little girl visited London for the first time from Australia.

BBC Radio London's Anna O'Neill went along to witness this magical moment, which you can watch back below.

Andy Trigg and Courtney Yule
BBC News

Image source, Courtney Yule/BBC

No, it's not just adorable - this cat's jumpers are practical, too. Morgan the cat has allergies - and his tiny jumpers help protect his skin.

But considering the level of cuteness, Morgan's owner, Rhia Watson, decided to sell merchandise featuring him in his jumpers to their thousands of social media followers - all for charity.

"People got wind of this cat with an impressive wardrobe and came flooding in from all over the world," she told us back in September.

The duo has already raised more than £40,000 from this project, which led to Morgan winning a BBC Radio Norfolk Make a Difference Animal Award.

Cachella Smith
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

September saw the return of the annual Great River Race (or "London's river marathon", as it's often referred to). Spectators lined London's famous bridges to watch 270 boats race along the Thames.

People dressed as Smurfs and Vikings were among around 2,000 participants. Others donned pink tutus and glittery jumpsuits.

One competitor, Zoe Stanton, decided to take part on a night out. She ended up in a boat with professional GB rowers after her friend - Olympic champion rower Heather Stanning - helped gather enough numbers.

Another crew comprised of staff and students from St Philip’s special educational needs school competed in the Royal Shallop Jubilant - a boat built for Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee.

Participants ranging from 13 to 83-years-old completed the 21.6 mile race to raise money for their chosen charities.

Knot a bad way to spend a sunny autumn Saturday!

Image source, Reuters

We're more than halfway through our 100 heartwarming stories of 2024, but we need your help.

Some of our best tales, like the woman who read her uncle's name by chance on one of 160 memorial pillars, have come from you, our audience.

The stories could be big or small acts of kindness by you or someone else, or anything that's made you smile in 2024. So, don't hesitate to send them in if you have any.

• Email: bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk
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Tinshui Yeung
Live reporter

Thanks to you, we’re more than half way through our series of 100 heartwarming stories.

Over the past few days, you’ve sent us the moments that made you smile in 2024, each one a beautiful reminder of the good in the world.

But we’re not done yet - 40 more stories to go, and we need your help! Whether it’s a kind act you’ve done or a moment of grace someone showed you, this is your chance to say thank you.

Our page wraps up tomorrow, so don’t hold back - send us your stories. We'll have details on how to get in touch in the next post.