Friday, May 18, 2012

Video: Random act of kindness cyclist says he could not stand by and watch homeless man rummage through bin for food



A random act of kindness captured on a cyclist's head mounted camera has become a viral hit on the internet.

The two-minute video, filmed by telecommunications supervisor Lewis Dediara, 47,  shows him offering to buy a hungry homeless man "anything he wants" to eat from a central London shop.

The YouTube clip has attracted more than 50,000 views since it was posted online four days ago.

Mr Dediara, originally from Nigeria, said today he was "astonished" by the response to his video.

In the clip, Mr Dediara can be seen chaining up his bike after he left a branch of Boots on Regent Street.

He spots the man, dressed in a shabby black t-shirt and jeans, rooting through a bin.

In a rare display of random kindness, the well-wishing cyclist offers to buy him something to eat.

The man walks into the shop and picks up some crisps and a pint of milk, which is paid for by the well-wisher.

Mr Dediara started filming his daily commute in London after he was knocked off his bike for the second time by a motorist two and a half years ago.

He uses a head-mounted camera and further cameras on his handlebars and back seat to snare drivers on his YouTube channel.

He told the Standard: "I was on my way to fly a kite on Parliament Hill and I stopped at Boots.

"I saw this man standing there - he was clearly hungry. When I saw him rooting through the bin I couldn't just leave him there.

"I come from a family where we are raised to help others when we see them suffering.

"I should have bought him more than what he wanted. Next time I see him I'll buy him a burger."

Mr Dediara said that he posted the clip online because "sometimes London is a place where people don't take the time to care for others."

"It is in my nature to help people," he said.

(posted at London Evening Standard)

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