A popular street cleaner has been told by his bosses he can't accept the £3,000 raised by locals for him to go on holiday.
Residents pitched in to pay for Paul Spiers, 63, to go on a break to Portugal. He has been cleaning the streets of Beckenham, south London, since 2017 and is a much-loved figure who is often playing music, especially Elvis Presley.
And Lisa Knight, the manager of a local estate agent, decided to start up a fundraising campaign after he told her that it was his birthday and he was saving for a holiday in Portugal. She called him "an integral part of our Beckenham village, adored by all”.
She told how she was shocked by the number of donations as the Gofundme page quickly went past the £2,000 target and hit £3,000. "Despite his hard work and dedication, he has only travelled abroad once—to Portugal. Paul dreams of visiting again, and I would love to help make this dream a reality for him," she wrote on the fundraiser.
Ms Knight, who is also a fan of Elvis Presley and was named after his daughter Lisa Marie, met Paul after hearing him playing Elvis songs. She told how Paul had been “blown away by how kind people are”. She added: “When I told him about the first £200 he cried. When I told him about the rest, he cried again. He’s the sweetest man. Someone contacted him recently and said: ‘Hi Paul. You don’t know me, but I’m from Portugal, and Portugal can’t wait to see you, so I’ve just sent some more money to the fund.' And he’s, like, blown away by how kind everybody has been, and I am as well.”
The cleaner, who was going to take his brother on holiday, has taken the situation well. Lisa reportedly said: “All he wants is to not get in trouble at work. He said he wouldn’t even enjoy the holiday if it wasn’t totally approved.” But locals have been left angered that global waste management corporation Veolia, that employs Mr Spiers, said he cannot have the money.
Instead, Veolia have made him "Bromley Employee of the Quarter" which comes with a modest and undisclosed financial reward thought to be much less than £3,000. They have also offered to donate a similar sum of £2,800 to a charity of Spiers' choice.
Members of the Beckenham Appreciation Facebook group were outraged by Veolia’s stance. One resident wrote: “Gift it to him, you purchase it and add his name. The world has bloody gone mad!!!” Another said: "I think this is disappointing that a well deserved employee that has been acknowledge by the public. I’m sure there must be a work around somehow." A third wrote: "What do we want? Portugal for Paul. When do we want it?
And Lisa wrote on the GoFundMe page: "Paul and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your incredibly kind and generous donations. Unfortunately, we have received news that Paul is unable to accept the donations due to restrictions set by his employer, Veolia, in accordance with their contract with Bromley Council. These rules prohibit staff from accepting any monetary gifts or incentives beyond their regular salary.
"We’re deeply disappointed that this decision prevents Paul from enjoying this well-deserved holiday as a recognition for all of his hard work for the Beckenham community. We have expressed our disappointment to both the council and Veolia and intend to continue to push on this, but please be rest assured, if we are unsuccessful in doing so you will all be refunded."
A Veolia spokesperson said: "We are truly grateful for the support and recognition shown by the community to Paul, who alongside a hardworking street cleansing team, does a fantastic job keeping Bromley's streets clean. Unfortunately...our contract with Bromley Council does not permit our staff to accept any monies or incentives outside of agreed pay structures.
"We have agreed with Paul that we will match the amount raised as of Friday 9th August to be donated to a charity of his choice. Veolia has a number of recognition schemes across the UK that reward our colleagues for exceptional services to the community and Paul will be the recipient of Bromley’s Employee of the Quarter - an internal financial reward to recognise his hard work and dedication.”