Agent’s road sweeper fundraiser blocked

An estate agent’s kind attempt to raise money for a local road sweeper to have a much-deserved holiday have been derailed by his employer.

Lisa Knight, a local resident and branch manager at John D Wood & Co Beckenham had setup a GoFundMe page for Paul Spiers so he could celebrate his 67th birthday in Portugal.

He has become a much-loved member of the community, known for sweeping the streets since 2017 while playing music such as Elvis songs to cheer up passers-by.

Lisa had setup a fundraiser to reward Paul who has only travelled abroad once—to Portugal. Paul dreamed of visiting again and Knight wanted to make that a reality.

The GoFundMe page raised £3,000 but Paul’s employer Veolia has blocked him from being able to accept the donations, claiming it is against his contract.

Lisa said: “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

“Once again, thank you for your incredible support and for being part of this fundraiser.”

Bromley Council said the issue lies with Veolia.

Both Lisa and Veolia have been asked for comment.