We get so much bad news nowadays, it's nice to get some good news for once.
My £1,000 blew off in the wind (and I got it all back): Passers-by help grandfather retrieve cash... but for one £20
When he tripped outside a bank and the £1,000 he had just withdrawn was blown out of his hand, Barry Eastwood feared he had seen the last of his cash.
Onlookers stopped in their tracks and scrabbled to catch the notes as they were swirled around in the wind.
But instead of running off with the money, they headed straight back to the owner – and started handing it back.
Shock: Barry Eastwood had just left the branch of Abbey Santander in Manchester when he tripped and his cash blew away
Shock: Barry Eastwood had just left the branch of Abbey Santander in Manchester when he tripped and his cash blew away
Yesterday the 54-year-old said his faith in humanity had been restored after all but £20 of the cash was returned.
‘It was absolutely brilliant, especially in this day and age,’ he said. ‘It has given me a sense that all is not lost and that there is still some decency in this world.’
The incident happened when Mr Eastwood, a former labourer who retired early because of heart problems, went to Santander in Cheetham Hill, Greater Manchester, to withdraw cash to pay for his car insurance.
With the notes still in his hand, the grandfather was returning to his car when he tripped and fell flat on his face, hurting his hand and breaking his glasses.
Almost all of the money was blown from his grip, leaving Mr Eastwood, of Higher Broughton, Salford, clutching just £60.
His son Richard, 29, who had been waiting in the car, jumped out to try to recover some of the cash. But to their amazement, scores of passers-by also began grabbing the notes as fast as they could and bringing them back to him.
They also handed back Mr Eastwood’s passport and bank card, which he had dropped at the same time.
Kindness: To Mr Eastwood and his son's amazement, dozens of passers-by began grabbing the notes as fast as they could, and returning them
Kindness: To Mr Eastwood and his son's amazement, dozens of passers-by began grabbing the notes as fast as they could, and returning them
Mr Eastwood, who is recovering from a series of heart attacks and bowel cancer, said: ‘I was lying on the floor looking up and seeing all my money being blown about, then I noticed there were groups of young lads chasing notes around and scooping them up.
‘There must have been 15 to 20 youngsters – teenagers up to blokes in their early twenties.
‘All of them were jumping up in the air grabbing fistfuls of notes and running around getting as much as they could. I got to my feet and remember saying to myself, “That’s it, you’ve lost it all”.
‘But I got back to sit in the car and all these lads were coming up to me with crumpled notes and throwing it in my lap and asking me if I was all right.
‘When I counted it, I had it all apart from £20. It was an absolute miracle as far as I am concerned – just amazing.’
Mr Eastwood, who has 13 grandchildren, added: ‘Young people get a lot of stick nowadays, but this shows that many of them are decent and honest.’
