In a bid to counter the destructive NekNominate craze on Facebook, social media users across the world have come up with a more generous challenge.

RAKnominate is based on a simple premise: perform a random act of kindness within a 24 hour period.

NekNominate is an extreme drinking game that originated in Australia. Social media users post a video of themselves drinking dangerous amounts of alcohol and then challenge friends and followers to do the same in the next 24 hours.

Like a viral chain letter, the recipients of the challenge then ask their own contacts to do the same. It is believed that NekNominate is responsible for several deaths in Britain as a result of people mixing high levels of alcohol with other toxic substances.

RAKnominate seems to have started in South Africa in the last few weeks. The challenges that are posted require participants to show kindness to strangers within 24 hours.

Examples include paying for people's meals and drinks, giving homeless men new coats, distributing roses to everyone on a bus, and paying for someone's supermarket shop. Everyone who is nominated to perform an RAK has to nominate three others to keep the chain going.

Cardiff based RAKnominate player, Bronwen Russell-Jones, bought a bunch of flowers for a complete stranger in one of the city's ASDA stores. "One of my friends posted a video of her buying a coffee for someone in Lincoln and she ended the film by issuing challenges to me and two others.

"It's a great feeling being able to surprise a complete stranger with a little piece of happiness. This is a fun and positive way of challenging the dark and pointless selfishness of NekNominate."

RAKnominate is circulating on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #RAKnominate