Originally published 2018-09-27.
In 2018, more than 200 students at the University of Bristol clubbed together to raise £1,500 (about $1,965 at the time) for Herman Gordon, a 65-year-old cleaner they adored, so that he and his wife Denise could fly to Jamaica to see his family. Herman, who came to Britain as part of the Windrush generation, broke down in tears when the students handed him the envelope. On the trip, the couple also celebrated a belated wedding anniversary at a beach resort in Montego Bay.
It is a small story, but it says a lot about how much everyday kindness at work can mean to people, in both directions. Here is how it came about, who the Windrush generation are, and why this kind of gesture resonates.
The cleaner students called a legend
Herman had worked as a cleaner at the university for years and had become a familiar face to students. He was known for stopping to chat, asking how people were getting on and encouraging anyone who looked as if they were having a hard time.
He was modest about it. He told MailOnline that he could not help with academic work, adding: "I don't know anything about law or sciences, but I know a bit about life." He said he talked to students about his own experiences, and that as a man of faith he liked to wish them a blessed day. Seeing them motivated, he said, made him happy.
The students noticed. On the JustGiving page they set up, organisers wrote that his relentless positivity and conversation had turned many difficult days into good ones, and that he showed happiness depends less on possessions or status than on appreciating what you have.
The envelope
About 230 students contributed, according to reports at the time. Herman often talked about his relatives in Jamaica, so the students decided the money should help him and Denise go and visit them.
When they surprised him with the envelope, he was overwhelmed. He told MailOnline he had never held so much money in his life, that he could not understand why they had done it, and that he was already hunting with a travel agent for a deal that would stretch the gift to a two-week trip.
A short video of the moment, shared by the Evening Standard, shows how emotional it was:
A belated anniversary in Jamaica
The couple began their trip with two nights at a Sandals resort in Montego Bay, on Jamaica's north coast, marking their 23rd wedding anniversary a little late. Photos released by Sandals Resorts show them in matching robes on a pier above the water, on a boat trip, enjoying drinks at sunset and before a couples' massage, and having a private candlelit dinner on the beach.
On arrival, Herman joked that people seeing the pictures would think he was "a trillionaire." Denise used the moment to thank the University of Bristol students for the gift they had given the two of them.
After the resort, the plan was to spend the rest of the holiday with family in Kingston, the capital, which was the whole point of the students' fundraiser.
Who are the Windrush generation?
The Windrush generation are the people who moved to Britain from Caribbean and other Commonwealth countries between 1948 and 1973. The name comes from HMT Empire Windrush, which docked at Tilbury, near London, on 22 June 1948 with 802 passengers from the Caribbean, many of them former servicemen. Under the British Nationality Act 1948, people in the colonies were citizens with the right to settle in the UK, and many came to fill labour shortages in hospitals, transport and factories after the Second World War.
Herman's story went viral in 2018, the same year the Windrush scandal came to national attention. Newspapers had revealed that some long-settled Commonwealth migrants who arrived before 1973 were being told they had no right to stay, losing jobs and access to healthcare, and in some cases being detained or deported because they lacked paperwork. The Prime Minister apologised to Caribbean leaders in April 2018, Home Secretary Amber Rudd resigned later that month, and a compensation scheme and an official review followed. Against that background, a gesture of warmth towards a Windrush-generation worker struck a particular chord.
Why small gestures at work matter
Cleaners, porters, catering staff and security guards are often the people students and office workers see most, yet know least. Many quietly keep an eye on the people around them, notice when someone is struggling and offer a friendly word that can matter more than it seems. Herman's story is unusual mainly because his colleagues' and students' affection was made visible.
Recognition does not need to be a fundraiser. Learning someone's name, saying thank you, and treating support staff with the same respect as anyone else go a long way. Where people do want to do something bigger, a few principles help:
- Ask what would help. The Bristol students built their gift around something Herman had talked about for years: seeing his family.
- Keep it transparent. A public fundraising page with a clear goal shows contributors where the money goes.
- Respect privacy. Make sure the person is comfortable with the attention before sharing photos or videos widely.
- Think beyond one gesture. Fair pay, decent conditions and everyday respect matter more over time than any single surprise.
A story about both sides
It would be easy to tell this as a tale of generous students. It is just as much about a man who, for years, gave out encouragement freely to young people far from home, many of them anxious about exams, money or their futures. The students simply found a way to give some of that back.
The picture of Herman and Denise on a Caribbean pier, with family waiting in Kingston, is a good reminder that kindness tends to travel in circles.
Sources: Reporting by MailOnline and the Evening Standard (video), September 2018; Wikipedia: Windrush generation; photos: Sandals Resorts.
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