A Facebook post about a bike mechanic who lost his job at Halfords and his home after he was diagnosed with cancer and is now fixing people’s bikes outside Liverpool Street station in London has gone viral, being shared more than 1,400 times on the social network in the past month.
On 9 November, Karun Chhokar posted that he had gone to a Cyclehoop Deluxe Repair Station by the bike racks at the station with his brother Saran, whose front brake needed replacing.
There, they discovered 56-year-old Maxwell Emmanuel, originally from Guyana, who offered his services to them and also fixed a puncture for a Deliveroo rider who had stopped to see what was going on.
“We all got chatting and established that he used to be a bike mechanic at Halfords,” Chhakar wrote.
“Unfortunately, Maxwell was diagnosed with cancer in the bladder last year. Therefore, he could not work during the period of having his bladder removed and going through chemotherapy treatment, so he lost his job.
“Subsequently, Maxwell had no income to pay his rent and once he actually beat cancer, there was no other choice for him but to live on the streets.”
For fixing the brake and the puncture, Maxwell made £15, and since the news spread, Cyclehoop says that more than 20 people have approached him and offered him donations in exchange for repairs to their bikes.
Karun and Maxwell (picture via Cyclehoop)
Karun wrote in his post: “A hardworking man who wants to earn a living has been dealt a difficult hand, however all he needs is the support and belief to get his life back on track. Our aim is to get Maxwell into permanent accommodation as well as getting the word around that he is eager to offer his skills in exchange for a fair price.”
He added:
This post isn’t about us getting recognition, it’s to spread awareness of the following points:
1) Maxwell the mechanic is outside Liverpool Street station between 3pm – 8pm everyday (Bishopsgate entrance, in the direction towards Shoreditch, opposite the police station, usually where the Stansted coach service stops off) and he is more than happy to help anyone with a bike issue, so spread the message to anyone you know who would benefit from his expertise!
2) There are a lot of homeless people out in London who could do with a little human interaction – it only takes a couple of minutes out of your day to stop and talk with a homeless individual. You really don’t know what surprises might pop out of this conversation and how you may be able to eventually support them.
3) See past the stigma attached to homeless people, a lot of them just need someone to understand their situation and give them belief that they can turn their lives around.
4) The CC Foundation will be holding a food/clothes bank donation point down the Brentwood High Street on Saturday 16th of December, from which we will be able to assist Maxwell and other individuals like him survive through the winter months.
Cyclehoop added that it was “happy that one of our products has enabled someone to earn a bit of money and hopefully improve their circumstances and want to share this story with our community to raise awareness of Maxwell’s story.”
The company has asked anyone who may be able to help to email them.
60 thoughts on “Homeless bike mechanic recovering from cancer helps out London cyclists”
What a nice story. Apart
What a nice story. Apart from the bit about Halfords – did they really fire somebody for being ill?
Doesn’t sound like the
Doesn’t sound like the history reflects too well on Halfords 🙁
Perhaps we should start a
Perhaps we should start a boycott petition: Reinstate Maxwell or we won’t shop there!
Weird, in Belgium sickness
Weird, in Belgium sickness isn’t an excuse to fire someone, don’t know what the rules in the Brextit is but man Halfords should get a punishment for this!
What a bunch of bastards
What a bunch of bastards Halfords are if this true. Where I work someone has been off for 2 years and their job is still open.
Surely someone born in the UK
Surely someone born in the UK should be first in the line for a job as a cycle mechanic. I am not aware of any skills shortage in the field of cycle mechanics.
Valbrona wrote:
That’s harsh. He’s a middle-aged guy trying to put his life back together. He’s not begging: he’s trying to earn a living. I’ll be taking my Brompton to him on Monday. You may not live in London, I don’t know, but I haven’t met many British cycling mechs in my 25 years here… as an economic migrant from Yorkshire
Valbrona wrote:
If there is a shortage of those willing to do the job might it be explained by the fact that if they become seriously ill they could lose their job and home?
Valbrona wrote:
Someone born in the U.K?
So what’s the difference of someone born here or someone legally moved here and achieved citizenship paying tax?
I’d rather give him money than some of the useless spotty shop assistants in some cycle shops born here or not.
Halfords – you’ve lost the £1000’s I spend at your stores.
Boycott!
Valbrona wrote:
I think you need to ask why the native population aren’t doing these jobs rather than why immigrants are. I’m pretty sure Halfords isn’t some SJW employer like the local gourmet coffee shop or whatever.
Valbrona wrote:
Which job is that then?
The story implies that Halfords basically sacked him for cancer.
Then it tells of a helpful homeless guy who is making a bit of money through helping out at a public bike stand.
Nowhere does it say he jumped any queue for a job.
I’m aware that I’ve bitten, but whether you believe what you write, or are writing it to troll, you really are a pathetic piece of shit.
Valbrona wrote:
why?
Valbrona wrote:
Jesus, you’re a soulless fuck aren’t you. Small minded schmohawk.
Valbrona wrote:
Obviously there weren’t any decent ones around who wanted the position when this gent applied, was interviewed then got the job.
Someone in the UK? What a shoddy and incredibly ignorant thing to say.
Valbrona wrote:
REALLY??!
Why can’t some people understand that people are just people. Doesn’t matter where they were born, what language they speak, what colour their skin, what strange customs they have. Inside they’re just people like you or me. If you actually spent time getting to know some of these “foreigners” you’d understand this. There are lazy/criminal/generally unpleasant people from all places including here. Just cause you have heard of some nasty ones from other countries doesn’t make people from other countries a lower form of human who should go to the back of every queue. And how local do you want to take things? Or how much like you do people have to be to “deserve” anything? Born in same country? Same county? Same town? Same road? Same house? Your immediate family? Or perhaps there’s just one guy in the world that deserves a job?
Valbrona wrote:
I’ve got to hand it to you, I’m not sure if this is trolling or you’re just a twat?
Going by the frequency you post up such tripe I guess you qualify for both labels.
What a sad story.
What a sad story.
Someone born here first in line? WTF. I think most cycle shops struggle to find decent mechanics. So let’s be grateful for immigrant workers willing to come and do what is often a low paid and insecure job.
Whether Halfords were right or wrong in law to lose him as an employee will depend on what limited employment rights he had and that would depend on his contract and also length of employment. Morally? Well that’s another issue. Few employers continue to employ and pay those that they have no legal obligation to do so. Perhaps they should re employ him.
Fwiw it’s worth recently a LBS screwed up a transfer of components from one frameset to another. Middle aged English mechanic. I needed it urgently resolved and chose to use a home bike mechanic service. The guy, from Hungary and part of a team of 4 that work local markets as well, came out twice, late Friday evening and then Saturday morning to resolve a niggling issue. Great service and outcome. And, of course, perfect English and tremendous communication skills. Transpired he and colleagues service bikes for police and the Prudential ride amongst others.
Road.cc have you reached out
Road.cc have you reached out to Halfords for comment on this at all?
You’re a soulless fuck aren’t
If you are off on very long
If you are off on very long term sick then it may come down to a firm letting you go. I know somebody who was suffering from anorexia and off on long term absence – she lost her job.
It’s not a Halford’s exclusive but it does indeed raise the question about a firm’s moral compass and the general attitude towards staff.
Rapha Nadal wrote:
You are correct and the state of the NHS is exacerbating the situation. Most employers will only pay sick pay for a number of months, indeed statutory sick pay only lasts 28 weeks. I was faced with a potentially similar position to this gent being unable to work whilst waiting for spinal surgery, waiting time for urgent surgery 18 months.
The lengths that I had to go to through to get surgery brought forward involving the media were unacceptable and even with this it took 10 months for surgery. In other parts of the UK the wait for similar surgery is 3 years! The moral compass is the NHS funding.
I am not aware of any
I am not aware of any conflict in Guyana which would have easily put him in the ‘asylum’ category. Perhaps he came as an unaccompanied child migrant. Perhaps he came as an illegal.
… he’s cost the NHS a packet.
Why don’t you bleeding-heart liberals invite him to come and live in your middle-class gaff?
Valbrona wrote:
Which calamity resulted in you being a UK resident, then?
Valbrona wrote:
You’re an awful human being. He’s been paying his tax whilst at halfords. Hope you enjoy your Brexit…
Valbrona wrote:
Not even a troll, just a prick. What if it did cost the NHS a packet? He was working, he was paying tax.
You are putting a few quid over the well being of another person, I think your priorities are so out of line. I’d give you some sympathy, but I can’t afford it.
Valbrona wrote:
Do you work in the Halfords PR department? Nobody likes you, you must remember from being at school. You’re quite clearly an idiot, and getting people calling you out as a twat probably feeds whatever moronic urge it is that makes you spout hateful nonsense like your comments above. But whatever, it’s good to see the high ratio of normal people to fuckwits like yourself.
Now I’m sure you’re mums making your tea, so eat your beans and shave your head.
Also not letting people die isn’t a liberal thing, it’s a human thing, it’s what you are supposed to do as a society.
Valbrona wrote:
“My country is at war” isn’t the only criterion for claiming asylum, I think. There are all sorts of other criteria for claiming it isn’t safe for you to go back (religious, cultural, &c).
It doesn’t even say anywhere that he was an asylum seeker- people can just move for better or different opportunities, you know (like you came out from under the bridge to seek the sunlight 🙂 )
Ultimately, the guy was working, paying taxes, clearly had the right paperwork or else Halfords would not have been employing him, so I honestly don’t have a problem with him using the NHS.
Valbrona wrote:
Let’s face it you are just another racist, probably brexiteering scumbag who is trolling for attention. Well done you’ve got it.
Guayna was a British Commonwealth Country that gained independance in 1966. People born up until the early 1970’s were entitled to live in the Mother Country; that’s also know as the UK you pig ignorant louse.
Legin wrote:
Racists never have their facts straight.
Big props to Karun Chhokar
Big props to Karun Chhokar who’s getting a bit left out of this discussion.
Valbrona, go for walk down
Valbrona, go for walk down your local town centre about now. Plenty of people, born here, about to cost the NHS a lot of money just because they like a drink or ten.
Go for walk tomorrow in the day and you’ll see plenty of scumbags who pay nothing in and take out, all UK residents from birth.
It’s not soley a matter of birth, it’s also a matter of contribution. This guy could have done more work than some generational families of dossers have done in their lives.
I’m usually right of centre but you’re on the wrong path here fella.
I don’t think Halfords should
I don’t think Halfords should be castigated, this is pretty common worldwide and the UK is frankly one of the least worst offenders.
If there is no knowing how long you are going to be off work or even if you are able to ever come back and do your job then it’s only fair that sometimes companies have to let people go. How long did Halfords actually pay him when he went sick, how long was it before they ended his contract?
No facts behind the story at all so easy to have a pop at Halfords!
If he was entiled to benefits then I’m not sure how he lost his flat if he was having treatment for a serious illness as credit towards housing costs would be met surely?
I say this as someone who spent 40 consecutive days in hospital after having life saving surgery and losing 1/3 of my body weight. I had to give an indication as to whether I was able to come back to work or not, instead of convalescing for 2-3 months I came back 15 days after leaving hospital but it was driving me bonkers not bieng at work so just did it. My company were pretty good but I was a manager with them and had worked with them a couple of years.
I think there’s more to this story than Halfords simply binning him off as soon as he got sick as this is made out to be.
Do any of the following
Do any of the following actually apply to you poncey middle-class liberals?
… ever been on a council housing waiting list?
… ever been registered unemployed?
… ever been on an NHS waiting list for surgery?
PS Only pompous middle-class tits can afford Brompton’s, and certainly not the likes of me.
Valbrona wrote:
What’s your point here?
I have experience of a couple of those.
I’ll add in here about the NHS waiting list. Isn’t there a large problem with UK born patients with self inflicted illnesses? If these people didn’t smoke or eat crap, then you’d find far shorter lead times. Wouldn’t the NHS be better served with govt money from the right wing govt that you seem to support. Probaly not righyt wing enough for you though. Isn’t the govt starving the NHS of money because they don’t want to tax the wealthy properly? Just like you putting, money before people’s welfare. Would the waiting lists be shorter if the immigrant doctors could gain access without the excessive hoops they have to jump through that have been set by racist cunts in power?
Immigrants aren’t the problem. narrow minded, selfish bigots like your good self are. You’ve been sold a package of racism and swallowed it without thinking beyond your own doorstep.
Anyway, I’m off to give a helping hand to a few immigrants in their quest to gain employment in the UK.
I know who I’d rather spend my time with. As you struggle to work things out, I’ll give you a clue. IT AIN’T YOU!
You are the problem, and nowhere near any solution.
Valbrona wrote:
You need to be a bit more consistent with your baiting. I like the prospect of a class war as much as anyone else: my background is total Inverted Snob. At uni I was a poor man’s Owen Jones; fortunately, in the eyes of an inverted snob, the poor man’s anything is the superior version.
Of course nowadays this clashes with my extremely poncey middle class existence, but we all have our crosses to bear, whether it’s managing the household through avocado shortages or wringing of hands over which bike to put through this year’s C2W.
You have the makings of a Class Warrior, but you need to stop accusing everyone of being poncey AND Marxist. Of course it’s possible to be both, but your rants lack consistency. Or, if you hate everyone, at least rant with some panache. You need to choose your angles more wisely.
Tl:Dr – read a fucking book: become the troll you could be.
Valbrona wrote:
What a simple life you lead: Brompton = middle class; migrant worker = undeserved scrounger stealing ‘our’ jobs.
Keep digging mate. And you don’t need an apostrophe after Brompton – you’re using it as a plural noun not possessive. (Free grammar lesson from a council-house lad from Rotherham).
Valbrona wrote:
Do you really think you are the only person who has ever experienced any of those things? Get over yourself.
Though of course if you are ‘middle class’ you are unlikely to be able to get on a council housing waiting list, because generally you have to be in some sort of defined “vulnerable group” before you can even get on the list. These days very few people qualify, because someone, mentioning no names, sold them all off.
There are so few of them now that no way of allocating them is going to be regarded as ‘fair’ because anyone getting one will inevitably leap-frog, in terms of overall finances, over those almost as badly-off as them who don’t quite qualify and are stuck with the private rental sector.
Round here it seems to be that what was once council housing is now occupied by the same people who would once have rented it from the council, but now those properties are owned by BTL landlords.
The state still ends up paying in the form of housing benefit to house the same people in the same properties, but now the local authority has to pay those private landlords a huge mark-up along the way because they no longer own the housing.
Some of those ex-council BTL places are of course occupied by transient EU workers, but that’s not the same as them getting council flats.
I just don’t see that council house sell-offs have worked out as advertised, no matter how popular they were among those who bought.
Valbrona wrote:
hello! I’m a middle class liberal, maybe even a poncey one, who knows?, and I’ve done all of those things, some of them several times.
I was also not born in the UK, which I guess makes me ineligible to work here or receive any of those things. That’s despite my family having lived here since the ice age.
Can I have my prize now, please?
Valbrona wrote:
Yes to all of the above.
Go drown in a manure pit. Your morals already have.
Right fellas. I think he’s
Right fellas. I think he’s well and truly fed. Need to let him back in his cave now that it’s nearly daytime and he needs to sleep it off.
Will one of those “open
Will one of those “open minded liberals” offer him a home? surely not, they are just bigmouth , socialist bigots. Great ideas , but when it’s time to pay , they have empty pockets… Of course, the community will be charged for all their generosity. So easy . And i know tens of them, they are generally the firsts to evade taxes ! They are the firsts to crush you on the road with their 2 ton (green and soon electric) SUVs. Just a bunch of hypocrites.
frogg wrote:
Sir, I think that you ought to drink less coffee and re-read your post. You’re on a cycling website: read the comments, not too many here sympathetic to two tonne SUVs.
I hadn’t realised that you could only express an opinion if you were willing to do it yourself. Better not express an opinion about the Middle East peace process, or law and order, or Brexit… After all, I’m not a trained diplomat or Batman…
With a name like Maxwell
With a name like Maxwell Emmanuel it’s quite possible that this guy is from French Guyana, which would make him an EU citizen. So, fuck right off with your racist agenda and presumptions about asylum, benefits claims, etc and try to better yourselves you narrow minded pricks
Economics 101 of the “open
Economics 101 of the “open minded socialist liberal”
1) outsource factory jobs abroad far away from labor laws and employ slave wage flexible workers, but it’s for helping those countries …
2) put pressure on the local wages,
3) keep the benefits abroad,
4) sell locally at a premium price,
5) import slave wage flexible workers for the “service industry” and let the community pay for all the accomodation, it’s for helping all those poor immigrants … ,
6) by the way, put even more pressure on the local wages ,
7) brainwash the locals with the media into believing it’s progress,
8) you have now enough money to hire a tax law expert and evade as much taxes as you want,
9) enjoy your vacations and retirement abroad of course !
frogg wrote:
That sounds like right-wing capitalism to me.
I can understand your anger, but I think your directing it in the wrong direction. You seem to be hating “the immigrants” because there were born elsewhere and that’s your classic divide and conquer tactic. To my mind, you’re being played like a fool.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Yep, that sounds very much like the current Tory party manifesto 🙂
hawkinspeter wrote:
Wow, how did you found that ? Think a bit more and you’ll find that you are maybe in the “useful idiots” category …
frogg wrote:
you obviously have absolutely no idea what socialism is, nor what liberalism is, nor what the right wing believes and does, nor what capitalism is, so why do you waste your time writing this shit when you could be reading something improving?
frogg wrote:
You flunked economics quite badly I see. None of those things are socialist or liberal. Possibly libertarian however and there is a vast difference.
… and now he’s an illegal
… and now he’s an illegal street trader … the icing on the cake.
There’s possibly some geezer around the corner running a legit cyle repair workshop, paying his taxes and rent, who won’t be too happy with the idea of an illegal street trader setting up business a stone’s throw away.
Valbrona wrote:
You seem to be ranting.
Please, inform us which cycle shop is complaining about this or are you just spouting hateful tripe?
Valbrona wrote:
That’s proper funny.
Show me one person who doesn’t do something illegal and I’ll show you a lying cunt.
You must be a prick, coz you certainly aren’t a troll, trolling is an art and you don’t have the skill.
Valbrona wrote:
There is no LBS anywhere close, it’s slap bang in the middle of the City.
And Valbrona, I don’t often resort to name calling on the website but you really are a cockwomble.
CygnusX1 wrote:
… and now he’s an illegal street trader … the icing on the cake.
There’s possibly some geezer around the corner running a legit cyle repair workshop, paying his taxes and rent, who won’t be too happy with the idea of an illegal street trader setting up business a stone’s throw away.
— CygnusX1 There is no LBS anywhere close, it’s slap bang in the middle of the City.— Valbrona
well, to be scrupulously fair Condor Cycles is less than 2 miles away. If this bloke starts selling Café du Cycliste kit and retro steel bicycles this could really start to hurt them .
ConcordeCX wrote:
There’s an Evans, Cycle Surgey and Swift Cycles in spitting distance, and the Polish run Brick Lane Bikes just at the top of Brick Lane in Bethnal Green Road, not sure they’d count as legit cos like, foreign innit?
Any mods around? Any chance
Any mods around? Any chance we can get Valbrona kicked off? This isn’t the Daily Mail.
cheers
Small detail, but it is
Small detail, but it is actually illegal If Halfords did sack him because of his illness:
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/organising/work-and-cancer/information-for-employees/your-rights.html
if they did, he has got good grounds to take the case to an industrial tribunal and claim shit loads of money off them.
Not if he’d been employed for
Not if he’d been employed for less than 2 years, you can fire anyone without reason thanks to our wonderfully progressive employment laws. Or perhaps he was on one of those wonderful zero hours contracts, where constructive dismissal his essentially legalised. Want to fire someone? Just stop giving them shifts and they’ll get the message soon enough
Thread of the fucking year.
Thread of the fucking year.
BehindTheBikeSheds – you & I seldom agree on anything but what you posted on the 1st page was spot on.
Rapha Nadal wrote:
thank-you.