A former Saga Cruises restaurant manager who lost his job at the start of Covid-19 lockdown has attracted work offers after handing out his CV at a railway station.
Trevor Walford went to Leeds with a sign saying: “I would like to work” after making hundreds of unsuccessful applications.
He took 300 copies of his CV with him and handed out 180.
The 63-year-old has since been inundated with messages on social media, including young people who plan to follow suit.
Walford, who once worked as a butler at Buckingham Palace, has had a long career in hospitality working at hotels including the Ritz.
He worked as a restaurant manager on Saga cruise ships for 16 years before losing his job due to the pandemic.
Walford went out last week with a stack of CVs and handed them out to anyone who was interested.
After posting about his experience on networking site LinkedIn, he has been offered two job interviews as well as other opportunities.
He told the BBC: “I was just doing what I needed to do to get my CV out there – I never expected this.
“I’ve had lots and lots of messages from young people saying you’ve been an inspiration to us.
“It’s a competitive market out there, I’d encourage youngsters to do the same thing, don’t get despondent, get out there, hand out your CV.”
He said: “The next thought on my mind was, ‘I’m not 23 anymore, who’s going to employ me’.
“That was when I really had to up my game.
“I spent two months applying to catering agencies and I never got any replies, now all of a sudden every catering agency in the world wants to know me.”