Adored road sweeper relaxes on free holiday to Portugal after employer stopped him accepting crowdfunded break

An adored road sweeper has enjoyed a free holiday to Portugal after his employer prevented him from accepting £3,000 raised by his local community to send him on a well-earned break.

Speaking from the beach in sunny Portugal, Paul Spiers expressed his gratitude and talked about how he hopes to continue making people happy in his work when he returns to the UK.

He said: “I was gobsmacked. I had a couple of tears in my eyes, I could not speak. I can’t thank people enough. No words can describe how grateful I am. Hopefully, when I go back, I’ll just carry on and do my job and make people happy again - carry on sweeping as they say.”

Lisa Knight set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a holiday for Paul after he told her he had been abroad once to Portugal and dreamed of going again. His community in Beckenham, London raised £3,315, however his employer Veolia did not allow him to accept the money due to staff not being allowed to accept monetary gifts or incentives beyond their regular salary.

Saving the day, online travel agents On the Beach held a "totally non-specific £3,000 holiday competition to Portugal". The competition’s terms and conditions stated that the winner must love Elvis Presley, be aged between 62 - 64, be loved by the local community, be a street cleaner in Beckenham and have the surname Spiers.

Of course Paul ‘won’, with Veolia saying they had no objection to him accepting the prize. The company matched the amount raised by the community to be donated to Cancer Research - a charity close to Paul’s heart.

According to On the Beach, Paul flew from Gatwick to Faro in Portugal for a week’s stay with his brother at a hotel selected by him - the same hotel where Paul stayed on his first-ever holiday.

Lisa said: “It’s difficult to put into words the immense gratitude I feel after the whirlwind journey of getting Paul to Portugal. I am truly overwhelmed by the kindness, support, and outpouring of love from Beckenham and beyond. This effort hasn’t just given Paul the dream holiday he so deserves; it has also shown him how much he is appreciated, and I’ve seen his confidence grow tremendously as a result.

“I am incredibly proud to be part of a community that has come together in such a profound way—it's enough to bring tears to your eyes. Thank you, Beckenham. I always knew this place was special, but this experience has truly blown me away.”