Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Emily McGarvey

  1. Start your week on a high with our Upbeat newsletter

    Kamilah McInnis
    The Upbeat

    ​​Thin, yellow, orange and pink banner promoting the Upbeat newsletter with text saying, “Start your week on a high with uplifting stories delivered to your inbox every Monday”. There is a pattern of shapes and different shades of colour on the right of the text.

    Hello!

    I’m Kamilah McInnis, one of the lead writers for The Upbeat, the BBC’s weekly newsletter highlighting uplifting stories and remarkable people from around the world.

    Every Monday morning we drop into your inbox with stories to help start your week on a high.

    Recently, we featured the missing hiker who was found alive after five weeks lost in British Columbia’s freezing wilderness and the AI “granny” giving scammers a taste of their own medicine.

    If you're enjoying the heartwarming stories on this live page, why not join us?

    Sign up to our newsletter, The Upbeat, and get uplifting news delivered to you every week.

  2. Christmas gritter knitter! Huge jumper keeps truck warm

    Emily Johnson & Julia Lewis
    BBC News Yorkshire

    BBC created banner showing the number 5 on the left on a light blue background. Thereis an orange pattern on the right
    A yellow gritter covered in a "knitted jumper". Pictures of gingerbread men, reindeer and Santa make up the design, as well as knitted presents spilling out of a sack at the back.BBC/ Julia Lewis

    When a volunteer group in Ripon, North Yorkshire, were asked to knit a sweater, they weren't expecting this.

    "We thought we’d be doing 26 jumpers for all these gritter operatives, not a wagon," says Hazel Barker, from Ripon Community Poppy Project.

    They were asked last December by a gritter company to make a huge 32ft by 28ft (10m x 8.5m) Christmas jumper to "keep Goldie the Gritter warm" during a busy season.

    The 35 volunteers spent a total of 4,500 hours, over the course of 12 months, creating the jumper and various accessories with 1,130 balls of wool. Now it's finished - let's hope Goldie doesn't ask for socks, too.

  3. Twin brothers clean up places no-one else will

    Anjana Gadgil
    BBC South

    A green graphic with a number "4" on the left and a purple geometric graphic on the right

    Croydon: The twin brothers cleaning places nobody else will

    If you're in the south of England and you see someone in a hoodie scrubbing a road sign, check to see whether it's James or John Makanjuola.

    The twin brothers have made a name for themselves by voluntarily cleaning up the streets. From London to Southampton, they clean street signs and bins in an effort to give back to the community.

    The idea started when they went to university and saw how "grubby" student housing could be.

    They set up their own cleaning company Makagroup and since then have become so-called "guerilla cleaners" and also take time to clean up public spaces.

    And it's particularly important to them, because during a time as teenagers, they were homeless.

    "We always said that we are going to never let our children experience what we experienced, and from a very young age we started thinking 'what can we do?'" James told us last month.

  4. Man eats mum's 22-year-old mince pie to celebrate Christmas

    Mairead Smyth
    BBC News

    Banner showing number 3
    Man in Christmas jumper smiling whilst holding mince pie

    Richard Newson, from Fleetwood, has been eating one of his late mother's mince pies every Christmas for more than two decades.

    After his parents died before Christmas in 2002, he found a big batch of mince pies in the freezer, which his mother Marlene would bake every year and give out to people in the community.

    Richard said they brought back fond memories of his mother, adding: "My mum and my dad loved Christmas. That is where I got my love of Christmas from."

    "It dawned on me I could do this every year, but I didn't actually grasp the fact there were 43 of them.

    "I've got 19 left, so with one a year for the next 19 years, I'll be 76," he said.

    And luckily for Richard, he doesn't have to share with his wife. "[She] won't partake with a normal mince pie, never mind one that is 22 years old."

  5. We'd love to hear your story

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    We can't complete this challenge of 100 heartwarming stories without your help, so share your little stories of joy.

    These could be big or small acts of kindness by you or someone else - or anything that has made you smile in 2024.

    Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

  6. Man's best friend is actually a duck, called Dog

    Daniel Sexton
    BBC News, South East

    A light blue graphic with the number "2" on the left, with an orange geometric pattern on the right
    A man stands in a tent with people in the background at a party. He has a duck on his left shoulder, whose beak is partially openMark Colyer

    They say a dog is man's best friend, but for one Kent man his best pal is a duck - called Dog.

    Mark Colyer, from Gillingham, takes the duck everywhere with him and friends have started calling him "mad duck man".

    "It all started when my boss let me keep duck eggs and I put 12 in an incubator. They all hatched but one kept following me around like I was his mum," he said in June.

    "I tried to leave it but he started crying so I decided to take him home just for one night - but that was five years ago!"

    Mark said the pair have appeared on the BBC's Have I Got News For You programme and people often don't believe that Dog is a real duck, assuming instead that he's a toy.

    Mark often dresses up as Charles Dickens and people stop him for a photo - but he only charges them "a smile".

    He also takes Dog to care homes as a therapy duck and takes time off from work to participate in meet and greets with his pet.

  7. We married for £100 with 99 other couples - and wouldn't change a thing

    Thomas Mackintosh
    Live reporter

    A purple graphic strap with the number "1" on the left and a red geometric design on the right
    A man in a kilt and tuxedo and a woman in a white dress and heels look at each other on a Tube platform as a Tube goes goes past quickly (blurred)Liam Gillan

    Everyone loves a wedding, so let's kick off with 100 of them.

    One of the UK's most famous wedding venues married 100 couples, for £100 each, to celebrate 100 years of hosting marriages - and I was one of them.

    Musical legends, footballers and Hollywood stars have all been married at Old Marylebone Town Hall - with ceremonies usually costing between £621 and £1,230.

    I was fortunate enough to join that glitzy list after I tied the knot at the mass wedding event in October.

    The superstition of not seeing the bride before walking down the aisle was literally blown out of my mind as my wife-to-be Paige blasted her hair dryer beside me at 04:30.

    By 10:20 Paige and I were officially husband and wife - as quick as that.

    We almost felt like celebrities - my BBC colleagues and newspaper reporters interviewed us while photographers asked us to pose alongside the 99 other couples tying the knot, renewing their vows or forming a civil partnership.

    A live page post bylined to Tom Mackintosh which says "I do" under a red "breaking" banner, with a photo of him and Paige underneath

    I even broke the news on the BBC's website as part of our coverage of the event

  8. We're sharing 100 heartwarming stories from 2024 - and you can join in

    Tinshui Yeung
    Live reporter

    Sometimes, I wonder if the world is truly a happy place.

    Chaos feels constant - wars, conflicts, personal struggles. A tough day at work, a fight with your partner, a loved one falling ill - it all adds up, doesn’t it?

    But then, there’s kindness.

    Small moments that remind us goodness is everywhere. Like the other day, I saw three strangers on a staircase helping a mum with her suitcases and pram. Or when my neighbour collected all my parcels while I was away. And my mum, who watches cooking videos every day just to recreate Hong Kong dishes for me because I can't find them here in the UK.

    Even when colleagues, friends and family ask, “How are you today?” it’s actually a reminder that I’m not alone, but cared for and connected with others.

    So, as 2024 draws to a close, here at BBC News we're sharing 100 stories of joy - big or small - to highlight the kindness and fun that has been shared over the past year.

    And you can get involved too: if you want to share an uplifting story from your year, get in touch.

    Kindness is here; we just need to notice it.