Community comes together to help elderly street cleaner get his dream vacation

Many people in our communities quietly contribute in ways that often go unnoticed. One of them is 63-year-old Paul Spiers from Bromley, UK, who has been sweeping the streets of Beckenham in South East London. Known for playing Elvis Presley's music as he works, Spiers has become a beloved figure in the neighborhood, according to The Washington Post. Spiers had always wanted to go to Portugal but didn't have sufficient funds to fulfill his dream. That was until his loving community stepped in.

His community raised over $3,000 to send Spiers on his dream vacation, giving him a well-deserved break. However, there was a challenge—Spiers worked for the waste management firm Veolia, Daily Mail reported. The company had strict rules against employees accepting money or gifts beyond their salary. So, instead of allowing Spiers to accept the community’s gift, Veolia offered to match the amount and let him donate it to a charity of his choice. Fortunately, On the Beach, a holiday company, stepped in to organize an extremely specific contest for people aged between 62 and 64 who had the last name Spiers and loved Elvis' music.

Also, that individual has to be a street cleaner from Beckenham and someone who is loved by the local community. It effectively transformed the donations into a prize that Spiers could win. The news outlet revealed that Spiers had "won" his dream vacation to Portugal as On the Beach posted about it on their X handle @OnTheBeachUK. Daily Mail got in touch with Spiers to get his reaction afterward. He revealed that he is excited about everything in Portugal, from "the drinks to the beaches and the coffees." Spiers had been abroad to Portugal only once and had dreamt about returning there ever since.

Spiers will be accompanied by his brother Dave on this trip. "I didn't realize I was that well-liked. I just came down, did my job and I just started playing music after about three months. It just made everyone happy, especially Lisa, so I carried on," Spiers mentioned. Lisa Knight, a woman from the local community, was the one who set up a GoFundMe campaign for Spiers. "I'm just happy that they've given me that chance to win the holiday. I forgot all about it, that I'd entered and put it to one side. And then they got in contact with Lisa and here we are," he said while thanking the holiday company as well.

In this case, when Spiers "won" the prize, Veolia had no objection to Spiers accepting the reward. "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," Zoe Harris, the chief customer officer at On the Beach, told the outlet.

"We understand that Paul has won a competition and we can confirm that we have no objection to him accepting his win. We are very 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," a spokesperson from Veolia told the news outlet. "Our position regarding the funds raised by the community has not changed and the decision about what happens to that money is a matter for the fundraiser. Veolia has matched the amount raised as of Friday 9th August and this will be donated to Cancer Research, a charity close to Paul's heart."