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Virgin shoeshine man gets MBE
John Grey, an 80-year-old shoeshiner for Virgin Atlantic passengers at Heathrow, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
Grey is head shoe shiner in the airline’s Heathrow Clubhouse and has shined over 50,000 shoes since joining Virgin over six years ago.
The airline’s chief executive Steve Ridgway was also awarded a CBE for services to civil aviation.
“Of the two of us, I suspect John has been more influential in helping to look after our passengers,” said Ridgway .
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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