Meet the mum and daughter lifting spirits by leaving thoughtful messages around South Shields

Julie White and daughter 16-year-old Hannah White, of Harton Village, made an NHS worker’s day when she found a pebble with a touching note on it near the seafront.

Linda Lowe, a operating department practitioner at South Tyneside District hospital, is currently on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis, supporting the intensive care unit to care for patients.

The grandmother-of-three was out for a walk when she stumbled across the pebble decorated with the message “this will soon pass” on Sunday, April 5.

“I thought how lovely for someone to put that there,” said the 53-year-old.

“It was really uplifting with everything that is going on at the moment, it just gives you a little bit of hope.

“Everybody wants to help each other at a time like this and little things like that really lift your spirits.”

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After sharing a photo of the pebble on social media, she tracked down the mum and daughter team behind it.

Julie and Hannah - a Year 11 pupil at St Wilfrid’s Roman Catholic College – had been painting pebbles and leaving them for people to find while keeping to the government guidelines and taking their one walk of the day.

“Hannah suggested doing some pebble art while we have been at home,” said Julie.

“With people being isolated from their loved ones, we tried to put inspiring messages on - then we came up with the idea of leaving them in different places for people to find.”

The pebbles, which Julie and Hannah have decorated by hand, feature uplifting messages such as “be hopeful”, “life is tough but so are you” and “we got this if we’re all together”.

“We have been taking them out with us on our daily walks,” continued Julie.

“It was supposed to be anonymous – we certainly didn’t expect to be found out – but the fact that it was found by a NHS worker is incredible.

“It’s lovely to know that positivity can be spread in a time like this.”

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