Have you seen local legend Stephen Coard with his ‘Smile it’s free’ signs along Port Road?
Stephen has struck a chord with our community through this simple gesture, spending hours by the roadside to spread smiles with those who pass by.
The 51-year-old grew up in Seaton and has overcome mental health issues and homelessness over the years to settle as a proud resident of Woodville.
He now loves spreading his messages of positivity through his homemade ‘smile’ signs.
“Every day I get smiles. I try to just try and make people feel a bit better about themselves. It makes me smile. Every time I get someone to smile, it makes my smile grow,” he said.
“Some people will wave. Some people will beep. Some people beep, wave, smile. And some just smile.
“Once I get about 20 smiles it’s hard not to start cartwheeling and getting all excited. It gives me a buzz.”
We recently shared an image of Stephen on our social media channels and the feedback was amazing, such is the impact he is clearly having on our community.
Stephen was humbled by the response.
“If I could, I would share my smile with everyone in the world today. Every day, if I possibly could,” he said.
“Thank you so much to everyone that’s given me a smile, a beep or a wave.
“This is for everybody. This has always been a gift for everybody.”
Watch the video and keep an eye out for Stephen along Port Road - and make sure you give him a smile, a beep and a wave!