As we enter more days of self-isolation due to COVID-19, it can be hard to keep our spirits up.
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Kids are especially lonely from being cooped up inside without direct access to their friends. That’s why two men in Stockport, a suburb of London, England, have taken it upon themselves to cheer their young neighbors up!
Andrew Baldock is a children’s martial arts instructor, who is in quarantine like so many others.
One day, he got an idea to wear an old Spider-Man costume he had from his time in retail. He used to wear the costume to amuse his students during their lessons, so he decided to apply the same principle on a much larger scale.
After recruiting his friend Jason Baird to help bring some much-needed laughter to the kids around them, the Stockport Spider-Men were born!
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“As soon as you put the outfit on, you kind of forget who you are,” Andrew said. “You just become the character. You just unleash the inner child.”
Both he and Jason are now using their one hour of exercise per day to don their costumes and run through different neighborhoods, bringing joy to all who see them.
They’ve even created a Facebook page where people can request a visit and are encouraging kids to hang signs in their windows to make sure they’re not overlooked. Of course, they’re also carefully adhering to social distancing rules, urging everyone to wave to their heroes from inside.
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The kids love it, and so do the Spider-Men! “It’s fantastic. Absolutely fantastic,”Andrew said.
You get a little bit hot, a little bit sweaty in it. You’re running around and you’ve got a mask, but you don’t even think about how uncomfortable you might be in it because you go around, and you just see these families and they are just happy. It is what we need. Right now it is what we need. Definitely warms your heart.
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You can say that again, Andrew! Best of all, it’s not only children who love seeing their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
“I have had lots of adults beaming and laughing,” Andrew explained. “I am going to see an elderly lady tomorrow who has been going through chemo and she has requested a visit from Spider-Man, so I will be waving to her as well.”
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The Spider-Men receive no money for their good deeds. In fact, they’re using their new popularity to raise money for “the real superheroes,” the NHS staff members and volunteers who are caring for COVID-19 patients. So far they’ve raised over $34,000!
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Now other people are following their lead and using their exercise time to cheer up homebound kids. Everyone from Disney princesses to other superheroes has turned up to raise people’s spirits and spread hope. Well done!
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