More than 200 people in Beckenham, Greater London, made contributions to send Paul Spiers on a summer break in Portugal. By yesterday, £3,000 was in the kitty - mostly from small sums of £5 or £10.
But Spiers, who turned 63 this month, will not be making the trip. His employer, the waste management company Veolia, decreed that its staff were prohibited from accepting "gifts or incentives".
The money was raised as a gesture of appreciation to Spiers, who has worked as a road sweeper in Beckenham in the south-east London borough of Bromley for the past seven years. In that time he has lifted "everyone's spirits with his positive presence" and kept the streets immaculate, according to the resident who launched a fundraiser to send Spiers on holiday.
This story is from the August 13, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the August 13, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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