Happy List 2022: The Independent celebrates 50 inspirational people making life better for others

Today The Independent publishes its annual Happy List, honouring 50 remarkable Britons whose kindness, ingenuity and dedication make them some of the country’s most inspirational individuals.

The 50 people here have been chosen by a panel from scores of nominations received from the readers of The Independent. They include a 100-year-old NHS volunteer, a couple who have fostered more than 250 vulnerable children and a man who donated his house to Ukrainian refugees, and who has since developed a network to support the resettlement of more than 100 people fleeing the war.

They appear in alphabetical order, as it would be impossible to measure the successes of these individuals against each other.

The Independent’s Happy List was founded in 2008 as an antidote to the many awards that glorify wealth or celebrity. Instead, it shines a light on ordinary people who do amazing things for important causes and inspire positive change.

This year, the 14th edition, is once again presented in partnership with GoFundMe, the world’s largest online fundraising platform.

From the outbreak of war in Ukraine to the spiralling cost-of-living crisis, the past 12 months have seen unprecedented global uncertainty and turmoil. The people chosen to be on this year’s Happy List prove that there is power in working together, and that kindness is not a finite resource.

Read about all 50 of them below:

Harriet Asher

Harriet has so far helped to resettle more than 500 Ukrainian refugees in the UK. The Hampshire mother of three visited Ukraine soon after war broke out and was shocked by the lack of transport links out of the country. She joined what she calls “a large network of volunteers – everyday people, not charities – from medics to drivers, to help take people to safety”. Harriet, 39, set up a GoFundMe page which raised more than £25,000 in just 48 hours to help pay for coach travel, flights, safe houses or hotels for anyone trying to escape the conflict. She says “this journey has been a complete privilege for me and I couldn’t feel luckier about all the extraordinary people I have met along the way”.

Banji Alexander

Former southeast London primary school teacher Banji wrote a children’s book aimed at gently tackling Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in the black and minority ethnic community and promoting children’s mental health. “I was aware that vaccination uptake was considerably lower in some demographics within the Bame community, and I wanted to do something to help,” says Banji, who also wanted to help children conceptualise everything they had experienced during the pandemic. He started writing Lockdown Looms, which explores a seven-year-old child’s experience of the pandemic, during the second lockdown in 2020.

Gavin Auty

Gavin launched a bike recycling scheme during lockdown and has since fixed over 300 bikes for people across Yorkshire. Gav’s Bikes started when he realised his neighbours were about to throw away a neglected bike. “I really don’t like waste and couldn’t see something that just needed a little fixing go to landfill,” says Gavin. The initiative has raised more than £5,000 for cancer research and local charities, and donated bikes to Ukrainian refugees in the UK. This February, Gavin also launched a football team to raise money for food vouchers and presents for families at Christmas. “The project just means so much to me,” he says. “I feel it has given me a purpose in life and I want to keep going for as long as I can.”

Ali Beg

Having grown up, studied and started his career in Southampton, British Pakistani Ali realised that the Pakistani community – although the area’s largest ethnic group – was often the lowest achievers. Determined to try and improve their opportunities and overcome barriers, Ali began volunteering at a local radio station for ethnic communities where he launched the station’s first British Pakistani show, featuring health and welfare advice. It led him to set up his own community radio station, Awaaz Southampton, which aims to link and strengthen communities across the UK. The person who nominated Ali says: “Most of the volunteers at Awaaz have been refused training or volunteering at other radio stations. Thanks to Ali, many now have their own radio shows. Ali truly brings the beauty of life out in every individual.”

Jane Flint Bridgewater

“The Happy List wouldn’t be complete without Jane,” says one person who nominated this longstanding volunteer from Stourbridge in the West Midlands. For the past 13 years, the mother of twins has given up her time to help Twins Trust, which supports families with twins, triplets or more. Jane has volunteered for the charity’s helpline, Twinline, clocking up more than 1,000 hours of calls. “Jane is welcoming and empathetic – a great listener, always ready to lend a sympathetic ear. Anyone who speaks with her through Twinline will attest that she’s one of the most positive people you’ll ever encounter.”

Rupert Brooke

Aged just seven, Rupert became the youngest person to cycle the 200 miles from London to Paris in just four days. Rupert, from Eaton in Leicestershire, has already raised more than £42,000 for the Children’s Bereavement Centre, which supported him when his father Tom died in a tragic work accident when Rupert was just four years old. One person who nominated Rupert says: “His courage and determination inspire others. His mantra is ‘I don’t care about things, I just want to make people happy’.” He has also raised nearly £9,000 for a local hospice.

Xural.com