Our Story
Strange to some, but the quotation ‘Isn’t It NiceBeing Nice?’ has been in existence for a number of years and was created by Joe Ellis.
Joe is a full time professional senior karate instructor and is also the National Chair to ?Britain’s largest martial arts organisation, NAKMAS, which is a National Governing Body for traditional and modern martial arts. He was also the National President and Chair to Karate England in its founding years and was the National Chair to the former TABKO (The All British Karate Organisation). He holds a 7th Dan Black Belt and is of international repute.
In his spare time, Joe has two passions: one is as an English Tea Room reviewer in England. He travels the country visiting, reviewing and rating tea rooms and runs the Joe Ellis’ English Tea Room Guide; and is Editor to the Time For Tea national magazine. The other passion is being nice and kind to whomever he has the pleasure to meet in the streets, in an English tea room or anywhere for that matter!
Here are some examples of Joe’s kindness to others:
> Buying a pot of tea and scones for strangers in tea rooms.
> Assisting financially, someone who is obviously having difficulties paying their grocery bill.
> Helped an elderly lady in Ipswich during his tea room visit, to get help for her injured elderly dog.
> Sending an afternoon English cream tea to someone ill or in need of a little life lift.
> Leaving a box of his own free range eggs on the doorstep of elderly people (Joe keeps chicken as pets!).
> Handing out a Random Act of Kindness envelope, every week to a stranger containing a £5 note and writing a message on the front informing the recipient that he/she is being treated.
> Buying someone a tea/coffee in a queue in a sports centre café and treating them to a cake or bar of chocolate.
> Donating second hand televisions, household appliances and furniture to those in need.
> Taking the elderly to the doctors for medical treatment and then treating them to lunch.
> Offering printing and media support services to a local disability charity, SNAAP.
> Taking off the streets a homeless man; fed him, gave him money, helped find him somewhere to live, paid his rent for a while and recovered a substantial amount of money from the Halifax Bank following his home repossession and wrote and spoke to HM Customs & Excise pleading for them to write off a tax bill for thousands of pounds. (Incidentally, they agreed!).
> Helping the Bethnal Green War Memorial for press and media coverage.
> Significant monthly contribution to the local food bank.
> Tons of other ways too!
Well known of his eccentric behaviour aligned to his obvious kindness to others, he decided to create a quotation which can be used to generate niceness and kindness by others and doing good deeds to people. His adult karate members say the quotation at the end of each karate session and his business colleagues and friends say the quotation too. Mike Hayward, a driving instructor of 1stMileswithSmiles, that he now says of kind acts ‘Sounds a bit Joe Ellis to me’.
What makes Joe Tick…? Good question and difficult to analyse. An East Londoner, he was born in the 1960s and had a difficult, often violent upbringing.
Joe was clinically diagnosed with Asperger syndrome some years ago, and might explain some of Joe’s behaviour.
Joe is married to Sandra, a Doctor of Education specialising in autism. So he kind of has a live-in Doctor beside him..!
Joe and Sandra has been together for over 30 years and Joe credits Sandra for turning his life around in order for him to find himself and build a career. He surely has done that.
