IT MIGHT be the season of goodwill but the good Samaritans of Bicester have been hard at work all year round.

Bagfuls of presents are being dropped at random doorsteps across the town as part of the latest kindness project supported by the incredibly successful Bicester Acts of Kindness Facebook page..

Kindness is sweeping through the town, with more than 3,000 people having joined online to spread cheer throughout Bicester.

A year’s dance tuition, 100 children’s ‘trauma teddies’, and postcards for pensioners are among ‘gifts’ donated as the page celebrates its first anniversary this month.

The idea sprung from one mum’s wish to help create a community she’d like her family to live in, and one that inspired people to be kind.

Local resident Hannah Walker said the idea for the group came from a ‘kindness advent calendar’ posted online which she did with her daughter.

She added: “I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone, when I realise it was started last Christmas.

“I wondered if anyone would join. I certainly didn’t expect to have found that there are not just some, but over 3000 people who do share this mindset.

“The activity within the group is really heartwarming and my thanks go to the members that make it as successful as it is.”

The Facebook group has spiralled since starting and thousands of residents posted about acts of kindness they’ve encountered in Bicester, such as one resident simply being helped by another when her toddler was having a tantrum.

Then at the other end of the spectrum people have been offering up their own acts of kindness such as the donation of an outdoor playpen to help one youngster with learning difficulties to be able to play safely outside.

The page also helped coordinate the postcard project in which hundreds of people sent message over the summer whilst abroad to pensioners at Langford View Care Home to show someone is thinking of them.

Most recently, an offer of a year’s dance scholarship to Elite Dance and Theatre Tuition was posted for one lucky youngster.

The school’s owner Hayley Byrd said: “My students are blessed that their families can invest in the opportunity of dance however I know not all families can do this for their children.

“I am desperate for those who wouldn’t get the chance to dance to be able to. Many hugely talented kids end up down a wrong path purely because of finances or circumstance that don’t allow them to have the opportunities of others.”

The teacher is taking nominations for one youngster to have a year’s dance tuition.

Commenting on the Bicester Acts of Kindness group she added: “I think people support anything gives something back to our local community.

“Bicester is such a community spirited town and I feel blessed to live here and know my own children will grow up in this community.”

Another ongoing festive project sees people being ‘jingled’ and surprised with a gift bag full of presents on their doorstep.

They are then asked to post a picture of the ‘act of kindness’ on Facebook before refilling the bag and gifting it to the next person.

Mrs Walker said some of the projects from the past 12 months that have stood out included donating sanitary products to local schools, to ensure no girls miss education.

She added: “Some of my favourite posts however are those where people are saying thank you to someone, or making a simple request for help and members reach out straight away.

“There can be quite a lot of negativity on social media as a whole. Sometimes it can just bring you down and reportedly is bad for mental health.

“I think people have welcomed somewhere to go where you’re guaranteed a positive news feed and to come away feeling good about society.”

To join the group search Bicester Acts of Kindness on Facebook. To nominate for the dance scholarship contact elitedancebicester.co.uk