Feel Good Friday: Global BC’s highlights of the week

Each week at Global BC we highlight our stories to bring a bright spot to your Friday and into the weekend.

Here are the five stories we wanted to share:

Meet the Nanaimo senior who’s warmed hearts and heads with more than 10K toques

A Nanaimo senior is warming hearts and heads with a labour of love that’s winning her plenty of accolades.

First, she was asked to help knit little toques for premature babies at the local hospital and agreed. Soon, she and a group of crafters added sailors to their list of headwear beneficiaries.

Rempel estimates she has since knitted more than 10,500 toques for those in need.

1:53 At 90, Island woman keeps turning out toques for those in need

‘Love bug’ deaf and blind pooch settles into temporary BCSPCA digs, awaits new family

A bedraggled deaf and blind dog that was recently rescued from the bottom of a ravine in 150 Mile House, B.C., is healing at the Williams Lake BCSPCA and awaiting his new family.

Clifford, a medium-sized white dog, was taken to the SPCA by someone who saw him take an unfortunate tumble into the ravine.

“He had weeping eyes, infected ears and is almost completely blind and deaf, so he was in a very bad way,” said Liz Dighton, manager of the Williams Lake SPCA, said in a press release.

The dog described as a “love bug” is on the mend, however, and would be in “heaven” to have a warm, cozy home with a guardian who understands his special needs, the SPCA said.

‘So big hearts’: B.C. couple overwhelmed with donations after Christmas decorations stolen

Niki and John Angelopoulos have been collecting outdoor decorations for the past decade, and were devastated to find 70 per cent of them gone two weeks ago. Since then, however, residents have shown up in droves with gift cards and decorations to help replace the stolen goods, bringing some holiday cheer back to the Angelopoulos home.

“I don’t believe it,” Niki said happily on Wednesday. “The people have so big hearts to bring me some. Of course they help because it costs lots of money.”

1:45 Vancouver couple’s Christmas decorations stolen

Kelowna woman crowned Lego Master in show finale

Stacey Roy has loved Lego since she was a little girl but the Kelowna woman’s brick building passion was elevated this week when she was crowned a Lego Master.

She and her partner Nick Della Mora won $100,000 Wednesday in the season finale of Lego Masters, a show that pits 12 Lego building pairs against each other over 13 weeks of competition. Notably, it was an all-Canadian slate of finalists, with the final American duo being ousted before the last brick-building match.

“This is the best moment of my life,” an elated Roy said after winning, adding that she hopes her success will inspire others.

Highest-ever count for Humpback Whales in the Salish Sea

The highest-ever count for humpback whales in the Pacific Northwest’s Salish Sea has been announced by a project that monitors the mammals in collaboration with other researchers.

According to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration, 396 humpbacks were documented in the Salish Sea, which includes 34 mothers with their first-year calves.

The most recent count showed a massive jump in numbers from 2017 — where 293 Humpback Whales were documented in the same area. It’s being billed as a “remarkable” comeback.

0:55 Record-year for Humpback Whales in the Salish Sea