University students raise £1,500 for cleaner to visit family

Herman Gordon has worked at Bristol University for 12 years

Students at the University of Bristol have
raised £1,500 for a cleaner to visit his family in Jamaica.

“He is the epitome of happiness,”says the JustGiving page
where more than 230 supporters donated money to pay
for Herman Gordon and his wife to visit
family in the Caribbean.

Gordon broke down in tears when given the cash, which was
accompanied by a note that thanked him for his “positive
energy” over the years, reports the Daily Mail.

“You have brightened many of our days and we want you to know
that we love and appreciate you,” students wrote.

Gordon came to the UK at the age of 15 in
1967 as part of the Windrush generation,
and has worked at the university for nearly 12
years. He told the BBC that he understood the pressures that
university students face.

“I know that these students are studying. You don’t want any
negative vibes around them,” Gordon said.

The fundraising effort was launched after a student posted a
message on a Facebook group about “the jolliest man I have ever
met”, saying: “if you ever wanna reason to smile, go talk to him
for a minute or two.”

Within just five days, the students had almost reached their
target.

Gordon says he had never said anything about wanting to go away,
so receiving the money was “out of the blue”.

Asked about his reaction, he said: “I don’t know if you know
that song, ‘Many
a tear has to fall/But it’s all in the game.’ That’s what
happened. A lot of tears.”