Dave has lived in Cambridge for over 4 years. He is part of the worldwide ‘Free Hugs’ movement, offering hugs on the streets of Cambridge, UK. I found that odd in the first instance and wondered for a second if anyone will take it, when suddenly I had my answers coming: while the embarrassed partner was starring at the scene having second thoughts about their relationship, one woman ran into Dave’s arms! Then somebody else followed! And even another one after! I found that really odd in a society where we are all scared of touch, where we are all obsessed with intimacy and privacy!     

According to Wikipedia, the Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places.

The campaign was widely publicized in 2006 by a music video on YouTube by the Australian band Sick Puppies. The campaign is an example of a random act of kindness, a purportedly selfless act performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better. Although not claimed as such, The Free Hugs Campaign is an incarnation of the story told in a book by Claude Steiner “A Warm Fuzzy Tale”.