A family is preparing to open the latest of 14 years worth of presents wrapped and left for their daughter by their elderly neighbour before he died. Ken Watson, who was 87 when he died, lived near to Owen and Caroline Williams for the last two years of his life, and befriended their daughter Cadi, then two.
When he died, they were surprised when his daughter Jenny delivered a sack full of presents for Cadi - one a year to open until she's 16. The family were "knocked off their feet" by his generosity - and started a tradition of Cadi opening her 'Ken gift' very Christmas Eve.
The first gift Cadi opened in 2018 was a book, Christmas Eve at the Mellops, by Romi Ungerer. In 2019 there was a cuddly goat, a train set spelling 'Cadi' was 2020's gift and last year she opened a giant Crayola colouring book.
All the presents are wrapped so the family from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, have no idea what's inside. But Cadi, now six, is looking forward to opening Ken's fifth gift on Saturday.
Owen is keeping Ken's kindness alive by sharing each gift online to encourage people to #BeMoreKen - and get to know their neighbours. Owen, 44, a managing director of a social agency, from Barry, South Wales, said: "It was a rainy windy night and I was getting Cadi ready for bed.
"There was a knock at the door, and it was my neighbour's daughter, Jenny, clutching a large bin bag. I thought it was rubbish that needed to go out, but she said these are the gifts my dad has put away for Cadi.
"It was confounding, magical, ridiculous and heart-warming. It knocked me off my feet but in the best way possible. It was the feeling that gets you in the throat - when your brain is processing quicker than your heart can take it."
Ken told the family he would live until the age of 100 - so had bought enough presents to last until Cadi's 16th birthday.
"I took in the sack and started getting them out, and they kept coming and there were 14 in total," he said. "They were all beautifully wrapped in thin traditional paper, the kind your grandparents use. We were all blown away by it. Being the Twitter user I am, I started tweeting about it and I asked if my wife and I should open now and rewrap them or lucky dip until 2032."
Some 67k Twitter users voted and a resounding 68 per cent said the parents should do a lucky dip each year until Cadi reaches the age of 16.
"We couldn't resist opening one on the night as there was a tiny tear in it, it was a beautiful olive-coloured book called Christmas Eve at the Mellops," Owen said. He added: "Ken was a former salvage diver, seaman carpenter and baker. I remember him playing his accordion at night and sometimes still think I can hear his 'oompah' music.
"The first time I met him he was in September 2015, I wanted to give him a bottle and say hello. He was on top of a ladder at the age of 83, in a blue boiler suit painting. The ladder was like a pogo stick, he was 20ft up in the air. I looked across to Lloyd, who lives across the street, and we both mouthed 'what the heck?'"
The family dog, Wci, pronounced Wookie, was one of Ken's best friends and their bond started when he gave him a chocolate digestive - which she isn't supposed to eat. "The dog went wild like he had a magic pheromone," Owen said. "She fell in love with him - she would destroy the plants in the garden at the spot where she would see him."
Ken didn't have any grandchildren of his own and adored Cadi, as if she were his own granddaughter. For her first birthday, he gifted her a giant cuddly Lion, called Elvis, and he went on to buy them for every child on the street - costing £20 a pop.
"I went into a lovely local toy shop called Giggles and I happened to mention to the owner that our neighbour had bought Cadi one of the lions for her birthday," Owen said. "She replied 'was it Ken?' She then told me he came in after seeing them in the window and decided to buy them for all the children in the street. He was a Santa-esque figure."
Ken also became fond of Owen's partner, Caroline, 38, an assistant head teacher. When Ken passed away in 2018 from cancer, his neighbours were devastated. Owen now hopes to inspire others to get to know their neighbours this Christmas. He said: "We all have a neighbour, they live above, below and besides you. You never know what doors might be opened by opening a door."
