A primary school teaching assistant has taken to social media to tell of a random act of kindness by staff at Morrisons in Chorlton that “nearly reduced [her] to tears”.
The Christmas spirit is well and truly setting in across Greater Manchester, but sadly for many, the festive season can still be one of the toughest, and during a year that has been like no other as well, kindness is more important than it ever has been.
Which is why staff at a Morrisons branch in the Manchester suburb of Chorlton have decided to take matters into their own hands with “random acts of kindness” to spread some festive cheer.
One of these random acts of kindness was discovered by “knackered” primary school teaching assistant Kylie Louise, who found a gift-wrapped Toblerone with a note inside from the store’s staff at her local bus stop on her commute into work this morning.
The note read: “Random act of kindness, have a lovely day from all staff at Morrisons Chorlton.”
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Sharing the heartwarming story to the Chorlton group on Facebook – which has over 40K members from the community – this morning, Kylie said: “To the staff at Morrisons, I am a knackered primary school teaching assistant who hasn’t had enough sleep,
“And the last week in school is always chaos.
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Kylie Louise
“Your [random act of kindness] nearly reduced me to tears.
“I have accepted your lovely gift that you left at the bus stop and I will be sharing it with my colleagues.
“Thank you.”
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The post has since gone on to receive hundreds of interactions since being shared just a few hours ago, with many group members praising the staff at the store for their thoughtful actions, as well as sending their well wishes to Kylie and commenting on how nice it is to hear of positive stories in the local community.
That’s not all though.
This commuting chocolate treat is believed to be just one example of “Christmas Kindness” by Morrisons in Chorlton this month.
Throughout December so far, staff members from the store have been delivering grab bags, hampers, and advent calendars donated by members of the public to primary schools across the town, gifting mince pies, tea and biscuits to local care homes and caregivers for all their hard work in helping the vulnerable and elderly during the pandemic, showing support for local heroes who help to make the community what it is, and so much more.
How brilliant is this?
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Morrisons is introducing ‘sensory support boxes’ in stores for autistic and neurodiverse customers
Morrisons is introducing ‘sensory support boxes’ for autistic and neurodiverse customers shopping in its stores across the UK.
Supermarket shopping isn’t always the most pleasant or manageable of experiences for everyone, especially for those who are autistic or neurodivergent – with bright lights, loud sounds, strong smells, and crowds of people making it a rather overwhelming and overstimulating atmosphere.
This is why Morrisons has decided to collaborate with the National Autistic Society to introduce dedicated ‘Sensory Support Boxes’ at its stores nationwide, as a way to both mark World Autism Acceptance Month, and help autistic and neurodivergent customers have the positive shopping experience they deserve.
These boxes have been carefully-developed in consultation with the National Autistic Society to ensure they include the most helpful items.
A range of toys like fidget balls, spinners, and squish mats can all be found inside the boxes – which will be eventually be available in all 500 Morrisons supermarkets by May – to help encourage calmness and focus.
All that customers wishing to access the items need to do is simply speak to a colleague at the customer service kiosk of their local Morrisons store.
More than one in 100 people are autistic, and there are 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.
Morrisons is introducing ‘sensory support boxes’ in stores for autistic and neurodiverse customers / Credit: Morrisons
Speaking on the decision to introduce the Sensory Support Boxes into UK stores, Joseph Clark-Bland, who is the Community Manager at Morrisons, said: “It’s a priority for us to ensure all Morrisons customers feel welcomed and understood.
“We’re proud to be leading the way in creating a more inclusive shopping environment for autistic people, their families and all neurodivergent people across the UK.
“World Autism Acceptance Month has been a key moment for Morrisons for many years, and we look forward to supporting even more customers via our new Sensory Boxes.”
The introduction of the Sensory Support Boxes comes after Morrisons first trialled a ‘Quieter Hour’ in some of its stores back in 2018, before rolling it out nationwide in 2024 due to its success and positive feedback.
Featured Image – Morrisons
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Greater Manchester cinemas to screen family-favourite films for just £2.50 this spring
Greater Manchester cinemas will be screening family-favourite films, and some new releases, all throughout this upcoming spring holidays.
The best bit? Prices start from a massively-affordable £2.50 a ticket.
With Easter right around the corner, and schools across Greater Manchester set to be on their spring holidays in a couple of weeks time, parents and carers will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained while schools are out.
But now it’s time to take care of those film lovers… and also those keen to plan budget-friendly events that also take into account the classic Manchester April showers.
Cinema chain Vue has announced its lineup of family blockbusters showing at venues across Greater Manchester this spring – including Printworks, Lowry, Bolton, Altrincham, and Bury.
Arriving in time for the school holidays, A Minecraft Movie welcomes fans to their favourite cubic wonderland, while the whole family can instead transport themselves into Disney’s reimagining of the 1937 classic Snow White if they’d prefer.
Also returning to the big screen are childhood classics like Wallace & Gromit: Curse of The Were-Rabbit, 20 years after its original release, and the beloved Babe, to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
Greater Manchester cinemas will be screening family-favourite films for just £2.50 this spring / Credit: Disney | Aardman Animations
And as part of Vue’s ‘Mighty Mornings’ offering, film fans can enjoy pre-releases of family-friendly flicks like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Moana 2 every day throughout half term, all from just £2.49 per ticket when booked online.
“A trip to Vue this Easter break is the perfect opportunity for families to immerse themselves in the magic of their favourite big screen characters,” commented Rob Lea, who is the Head of Screen Content at Vue UK & Ireland.
Emily Sergeant -
14th December 2020 
