Supermarket delivery driver Geoff Norris found himself in a bit of a pickle after receiving his invitation to King Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey. That was because the coronation landed at the same time as his son's wedding.
After clocking the date of the historic occasion, Geoff realised he would be on a holiday holiday in Greece. There, he was due to be best man at his son Anthony's big day.
The family are set to fly to Kos in early may to enjoy a getaway planning around the wedding, which is set to take place on May 10. With the coronation just four days earlier, Geoff initially approached holiday company TUI to find out if he could come back for King Charles' big day.
Geoff, a home shopping delivery driver for Asda in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, said: “When I received the invitation from the Cabinet Office I felt very, very proud and very, very honoured. I obviously accepted straight away, but the panic set in as soon as I realised I was 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.
“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 is a well-known face among his local area and was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2020 for his work during the coronavirus pandemic. During Covid, Geoff arranged for his team to deliver food and essentials as well as looking after the vulnerable and elderly in his community.
He even organised a 90th birthday treat for a customer who was self-isolating on her own big day. His wife and daughter also got involved with orders to make sure their community didn't go hungry.
Geoff was also instrumental in setting up Asda's happy to chat campaign. This sees delivery drivers wearing a "happy to chat" badge to let lonely or isolated customers now they have time to keep them company.
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He added: “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.”
The coronation will be attended by over 2,000 people and among them are 400 people who were awarded the British Empire Medal. Geoff will be joined by Asda colleagues Jo Scott from Pwllheli and Julie Cook from Aberdare. Geoff will be sitting alongside The Royal Family, The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other international leaders for the occasion.
