He may be a long-standing Unicef goodwill ambassador who has been to the Philippines to see for himself the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, but David Beckham’s most recent charitable act occurred closer to home.
The London Ambulance Service has revealed that the former Manchester United and England footballer treated a paramedic and an elderly man to tea and coffee on Monday.
Catherine Maynard, who works with the Cycle Response Unit, was helping the man who had fallen down, when she spotted Beckham near Endsleigh street in central London.
“I was waiting with my patient for an ambulance to transfer him to hospital and although I was keeping him warm it was very cold outside,” she said. “All of a sudden, I looked up and saw someone who looked like David Beckham walking past us. He said hello and got in his car. I said to the man I was treating, ‘I think that was David Beckham’. Ten minutes later, he came back with a cup of coffee for me and a tea for the patient.
“We were both very amused, and flattered. It was awful cycling around in the cold today and I couldn’t believe it when he came back with some hot drinks – I was so chuffed.”
Beckham posed for a photo which was tweeted by the London Ambulance Service.
Thank you David Beckham for buying a tea and coffee for Cycle Paramedic Catherine and her patient #buyitlikebeckham pic.twitter.com/IFvnwuGSJI
— London Ambulance (@Ldn_Ambulance) February 1, 2016
The brush with celebrity was in stark contrast to a nasty incident experienced by Maynard this time last year when she and her crewmate were assaulted by two patients within two days.
Beckham, 40, has been a Unicef goodwill ambassador since 2005. In February 2014, Beckham toured Tacloban and the surrounding areas, which had been devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The visit clearly affected the former footballer. Last September, at a UN meeting in New York, Beckham fought back tears as he told the story of a young girl who died during the typhoon.
The Beckham family is rarely out of the news. Last week, photographers expressed their frustration at Burberry’s decision to invite Brooklyn Beckham to shoot its latest fragrance campaign, saying it devalues the skills and training of professionals.
The 16-year-old had announced on his Instagram feed that he would photograph the Burberry campaign at the weekend and that live updates would be posted on social media. Brooklyn is the second Beckham child to work with Burberry after his younger brother Romeo’s role in the label’s Christmas advert, which attracted 11m views within 48 hours of launching.
