THE world's largest growing "not-cult" has spread to Bolton - much to the bewilderment of shoppers in the town centre.

Members of the "Join Me" collective gathered in Victoria Square to spread the word of the group - devoted to performing random acts of kindness.

Angie Hulme and John Greenwood spent the afternoon handing out bars of chocolate and lottery scratchcards to bemused shoppers as they encouraged people to join the group, which is bringing people together across the world.

Join Me was created almost as a joke when former BBC producer Danny Wallace placed an advertisement in a London newspaper asking people to join him by writing back with a passport-sized photograph.

When he had amassed thousands of pictures, Wallace, who calls his groups a "not cult", realised that he would use his followers for the power of good - encouraging them to carry out acts of kindness.

The group is not religious in any way, and exists simply to brighten up the lives of strangers.

Join Me now has tens of thousands of members across the world, each of whom have agreed to perform one act of kindness every week.

The "Joinees," as they are known, often meet up in their towns and cities to promote the cause and socialise.

Angie, a 21-year-old customer services adviser from Accrington, said the group had received a fantastic reception in Bolton. She recently bought lunch for ten strangers in a sandwich shop, and paid for 20 children to ride dodgems on a fairground - out of sheer kindness.

Join Me has become such a phenomenon that Danny Wallace has made numerous television appearances across the globe, and has received letters of congratulations from Tony Blair and Prince Charles.

He has also written a top-selling book about the group, subtitled: "The true story of a man who started a cult by accident".

For more information visit www.join-me.co.uk.