How it all started:

Juan Mann has been living in London when my world turned upside down and he had to come home. By the time his plane landed back in Sydney, all he had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome him back, no place to call home. He was a tourist in my hometown.=(

Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing
together,he wanted someone out there to be waiting for him. To be happy to see him. To smile at him. To hug him.

So he got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign.He found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.

And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through him. The first person who stopped, tapped him on the shoulder and told him how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. He got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when they parted, she was smiling.=)

Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.♥♥♥

Why did it get banned????? >:'D

Public liability fear and red tape. But its all okay now! Make sure tocheck your local laws before embarking on your Hugathon!