Online travel agent On the Beach has fixed it for a road sweeper to ‘win’ a trip to Portugal after bosses said money raised by local residents to send him on holiday couldn’t be used.
About 200 people in Beckenham, London chipped in to send 63-year-old Paul Spiers on a summer holiday in a GoFundMe campaign that was launched to thank him for his hard work.
Local resident and fund organiser Lisa Knight said Paul, who’s only been abroad once, had been ‘bringing joy to local residents and keeping our streets immaculate’ since 2017, playing Elvis Presley on a portable speaker as he works.
“I first met Paul when he started working here and it has been wonderful to see what a beloved member of the community he has become. His habit of playing music from his speaker while meticulously cleaning our streets lifts everyone’s spirits with his positive presence,” Lisa said.
The fundraiser hit £3,000 but Paul’s employer, waste management company Veolia, said he couldn’t take the holiday because it went against its contract with Bromley Council, which says employees are not allowed to accept gifts or incentives.
Veolia said it would instead match the amount of money raised and donate it to a charity nominated by Paul. It said the street cleaner would receive Bromley’s ‘employee of the quarter’ internal financial reward scheme that recognises hard work and dedication.
The situation led to new Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge Liam Conlon urging Bromley Council ‘take a common sense approach’ to allow Paul to go on holiday – to no avail.
After Lisa told pledgers that Paul was not able to accept the money, On the Beach stepped in to ensure he did get a trip, by organising a competition that only he could win and would not have to turn down because it is not a gift.
The competition stated the winner must be between the ages of 62 and 64, love Elvis, have a surname of Spiers, be a street cleaner in Beckenham and be loved by the local community.
On the Beach Chief Customer Officer Zoe Harris said: “Congratulations Paul. Who would have thought that just a day after he was denied a holiday, he would win one in a competition. What are the odds?
“We’re all for the fundraised money going to charity, but everyone deserves a holiday, it’s one of those moments that we dream of all year round.
“We know how much Paul dreamed of going to Portugal again and so for him to win the competition is fantastic.”
Picture: GoFundMe
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About 200 people in Beckenham, London chipped in to send 63-year-old Paul Spiers on a summer holiday in a GoFundMe campaign that was launched to thank him for his hard work.
Local resident and fund organiser Lisa Knight said Paul, who’s only been abroad once, had been ‘bringing joy to local residents and keeping our streets immaculate’ since 2017, playing Elvis Presley on a portable speaker as he works.
“I first met Paul when he started working here and it has been wonderful to see what a beloved member of the community he has become. His habit of playing music from his speaker while meticulously cleaning our streets lifts everyone’s spirits with his positive presence,” Lisa said.
The fundraiser hit £3,000 but Paul’s employer, waste management company Veolia, said he couldn’t take the holiday because it went against its contract with Bromley Council, which says employees are not allowed to accept gifts or incentives.
Veolia said it would instead match the amount of money raised and donate it to a charity nominated by Paul. It said the street cleaner would receive Bromley’s ‘employee of the quarter’ internal financial reward scheme that recognises hard work and dedication.
The situation led to new Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge Liam Conlon urging Bromley Council ‘take a common sense approach’ to allow Paul to go on holiday – to no avail.
After Lisa told pledgers that Paul was not able to accept the money, On the Beach stepped in to ensure he did get a trip, by organising a competition that only he could win and would not have to turn down because it is not a gift.
The competition stated the winner must be between the ages of 62 and 64, love Elvis, have a surname of Spiers, be a street cleaner in Beckenham and be loved by the local community.
On the Beach Chief Customer Officer Zoe Harris said: “Congratulations Paul. Who would have thought that just a day after he was denied a holiday, he would win one in a competition. What are the odds?
“We’re all for the fundraised money going to charity, but everyone deserves a holiday, it’s one of those moments that we dream of all year round.
“We know how much Paul dreamed of going to Portugal again and so for him to win the competition is fantastic.”
Picture: GoFundMe
The post On the Beach steps in after council tells street cleaner he can’t take holiday cash appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
