How did it all begin?? Well, I celebrated my real birthday in Hawaii - which was absolutely wonderful (hugs, cuddles and a massage - what more could a Touch Ambassador ask for?!)
And I wanted to do something with the folks back home around the theme of "giving" as a belated celebration. I thought originally that we'd offer ourselves to a local charity and let them find a project for us to do. But on reading last week's article in The Times about their grassroots Free Hugs campaign, a seed of an idea began to sprout. We'd give hugs!
When I explained what the afternoon's plan was, plenty of friends became "busy" or said they'd join us after the hugs.. It was going to be a mission of quality over quantity!
Anyway, a big thanks to friends L and T who were real troopers. We had a great laugh! L said it goes down on her list of the three weirdest things she's done in her life and she thanked me for stretching her boundaries in a good way. T said she'd do it again!
Last night, I went online to see if there were any "how to organise free hug sites". There was one which talked people through how to give a hug (ie you put your arms here and your head there) but I do all of that instinctively, so decided I was happy to go out there and make it happen as we went along.
If you want to organise a free hugs campaign this is what you do.
1 - Make signs that say "free hugs". I used A4 card (from old notepads) and marker pens. Took approx 5 mins to make.
2 - Arrange for a buddy to offer free hugs alongside you (much more of a laugh, keeps it safe and the public get double or triple hugs!)
3 - Choose a spot where there will be plenty of people passing by
4 - Have a hug with your other free-huggers to mark the beginning.
5 - Agree to a time frame. An hour felt perfect (especially as it's chilly January)
6 - Display signs as you walk around. Approach people and ask if they would like a hug.
So, this is how we got along! By the end of our hour we felt like sociology professors as there were some obvious behaviour patterns..
a - All the people who looked like they needed hugs (ie - people who looked sad, downtrodden, heavy etc) said "no". One guy in his 70s said he was too old to be hugged and shuffled away. It made me sad that this old gentleman felt that he'd reached a point in life where he was beyond receiving love.
b - Women on their own or with other women generally all said no when approached. At least 5 said: "I'm getting enough hugs, thank you." We did however have some lovely women approach us. A very huggy lady from Newcastle said everyone is much warmer up North. We had a bunch of American students who called us the "Free Hug Girls" and wanted to do this back home in Boston. A French lady got so excited as she said she'd had enough of unaffectionate English people and wanted to also do this back home.
c - Families with kids, couples and groups of friends were very receptive to us. It seemed like it was the happy people who were more open to free hugs! Various mums sent their offspring over to us for hugs and it was delicious to hug a toddling two-year old.
d - We noticed that we were causing people around us to hug. Yay!!! A ripple effect.

e - The most common questions we got were "Why Are You Doing This?" People thought it was for charity and we wanted cash. Our reply. "To make the planet a happier place." Next most common question: "Where are you from?" Answer: South Africa and England. Maybe this wasn't what was expected of Londoners! Next question: "Where did the idea come from?" For anyone organising free hug events, I advise writing blurb to hand out about its history. By the 10th time I was telling Juan Mann's story, my mouth was getting dry (another tip - take a bottle of water with you - hugging and explaining why you're hugging can be thirsty work!)
f - Lots of people wanted photos of being hugged. We will be appearing in photo albums in Australia, China, India, the US, Spain and plenty more countries (we soon lost track of all the people we were hugging, talking to and having pics with). It sure is a great way to interact with lots of new people!
g - The receptive men generally saw our sign, smiled then stood their with outstretched arms saying "yes, please!" They were all entirely appropriate. There was one man who became a tad inappropriate after his hug. He was watching us hug other people, saying he'd seen it on the net, but it was weird etc. He then asked me how long I could hug him for. I said that as we were about to head off (true statement) up to 60 secs. When I hugged him, I felt him melt into the comfort of a hug. He said "this feels so wonderful". His tone was sincere. Afterwards, he was trying to pick me up and that felt sleazy. I told him that was not what free hugs were about. I put his inappropriateness down to his social skills and the messages society gives out about touch being sexual. For reasons like this, I'd encourage all free huggers (especially women) to work in pairs.
Overall thoughts. Fabulous!!! Would certainly do it again!! And would encourage anyone who is tempted to give it a try.