A homeless guest at a Milton Keynes hotel has thanked staff for making his Valentine’s Day one to remember.
Kevin Tiernan, 54, is currently living out of hotel rooms after splitting from his long-term partner, and it was during his time in the restaurant at the Campanile Hotel in Fenny Stratford that waitress Ligita Galinaitytė presented him with a Valentines teddy bear.
As an act of appreciation, Ligita was sent a surprise bunch of flowers by Kevin earlier this week with the words “thank you so much for being you”.
The firefighter explained: “I am currently battling depression and have no home having recently split up from my partner, so to receive what will be seen as a little gesture by most people meant a lot to me.
“It was the first time I had received a Valentines Day gift for many years and brought back many happy memories for me from many years ago.
“I originally only intended to stay for two nights, but Ligita and the team were so welcoming and friendly that I ended up staying for ten nights in the end.
“I tend to spend a lot of my time in my room, but force myself to go out and socialise in the evenings, and the gesture form Ligita touched me so much that I wanted to return the favour and show her my appreciation.”
Ligita, 21, added: “There were a number of people on their own who were stopping with us on Valentines Day away from their loved ones – be it for business or other reasons – and we wanted to try and cheer them up.“Seeing Kevin’s reaction made it all worthwhile. He was close to tears when I handed him his bear, and it was just very rewarding to see that I had made a difference to somebody’s day.
“The bouquet of flowers arrived once Kevin had checked out – it was a nice surprise and has reminded me why I like working in hospitality.”