A supermarket delivery driver has received the invitation of a lifetime – to attend the King’s Coronation at Westminster Abbey.
But, for Geoff Norris, there was an issue...
The date clashed with another once-in-a-lifetime occasion – a family holiday in Greece where he will be the best man at his son’s wedding.
Geoff, an Asda delivery driver from Wisbech, said: “When I received the invitation from the Cabinet Office I felt very, very proud and very, very honoured.
“I accepted straight away, but the panic set in as soon as I realised we were going to be out of the country.
“But I had to be at both occasions...
“I couldn’t miss this opportunity to be at the coronation of King Charles III and I certainly couldn’t miss my son’s wedding.”
Pandemic hero Geoff was awarded the British Empire Medal for taking special care of the vulnerable and elderly during the coronavirus pandemic.
He sought volunteers from among his colleagues to help on their days off to collect and deliver food to those who were self-isolating or vulnerable.
His wife and daughter also helped with the orders.
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They fly to Kos in early May to enjoy a family holiday around the wedding, which is taking place on May 10.
As the coronation takes place on May 6, Geoff initially approached TUI which the holiday is booked with to see if he could come back for it.
He said: “The TUI website said it was going to cost £1,000 to make any changes.
“But I phoned and explained my situation, which they treated as ‘exceptional circumstances’.
“I have to say, their staff went above and beyond to try and help, but unfortunately the scenarios offered didn’t quite accommodate what I needed.
“So a friend’s son, Jason Duke, who is a British Airways pilot, sorted flights that work perfectly out of his own pocket which is very generous of him.
“I can now be at both events, which means the world to me.”
Geoff added: “I want to publicly thank everyone, and the companies involved, for all their help, kindness and generosity.
“During the pandemic, we only ever set out to help the elderly or vulnerable.
“Three years later, it is going to be an honour to represent my colleagues, customers and the community at such a memorable occasion.”
Two thousand people have been invited to attend the coronation and among them are 400 British Empire Medal recipients.
The King will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, during the ceremony.
And Geoff will be sitting alongside The Royal Family, The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other international leaders for the occasion.
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We pride ourselves in going above and beyond for our customers and we understood how important both of these occasions were for Mr Norris.
“We truly hope he has a wonderful time with TUI at his son’s wedding and of course the coronation celebrations.”
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