The world has had its fair share of darkness over the last few years. From the coronavirus pandemic to the cost of living crisis, plenty of terrible things have happened – and many of them have had a direct impact on our day-to-day lives.

But amid this darkness, there’s also been plenty of light – especially during lockdown, when neighbours and wider communities came together to support the most vulnerable. Kindness has, despite how it may feel, remained a force to be reckoned with – and it was this that inspired the author, academic and broadcaster Claudia Hammond to pick the subject as the basis for her next book, The Keys To Kindness.

“I had the idea for this book during the first coronavirus lockdown, when I noticed that people around me were doing all sorts of things for each other,” Hammond tells Stylist. “Kindness became salient during those times, and I just thought, ‘We need more of this. The world needs more of this.’”