Dad's Twitter campaign for bullied son goes viral in the best way

Russell Crowe even got involved.
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 

The internet may be full of angry people and trolls, but sometimes it's just plain nice.

On Thursday morning, Christopher Hope-Smith asked Twitter for help. His son Ollie was turning 9 soon, Hope-Smith wrote, but there was a bully who kept telling him his birthday wouldn't be "as good as his own".

Hope-Smith had other ideas, though. He wanted to make sure Ollie's birthday was his best so far.

The response has been absolutely overwhelming.

In the hours since, Hope-Smith's tweets have been shared well over 11,000 times. TV presenters, DJs, and celebrities have all responded to wish Ollie a happy birthday -- and some have even offered him special gifts.

Following the huge outpouring of support, Ollie's mum Natalie took to Twitter on Thursday evening to post the following update.

Happy birthday, Ollie.

Topics X/Twitter

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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