A widower was “blown away” by the kindness of strangers after they stepped in to pay for the bill at his favourite restaurant.
Bob Leigh had dressed up in his best suit to eat at Caffe Caruso, his favourite Italian restaurant in Warrington, Cheshire, for his 86th birthday.
The retired electrician, whose wife died a few years ago, has been dining at the cafe for years.
However, after talking to a nearby table, they insisted on paying his £38 bill when he went to leave.
He told the BBC: “I can’t thank them enough. I was blown away by their kindness.”
For his birthday meal, he ordered two glasses of wine, a curry chicken pasta dish, a pudding and an Irish coffee.
However, when he went to pay his bill, the manager told the cashier it had already been taken care of.
Mr Leigh found out the group at the adjacent table had paid in full for him.
Caffe Caruso in Warrington said it wasn’t the first time something like this has happened
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The former Rugby League referee said: “I was amazed, I found out the group next to me had paid my bill.
“I went up to them and told them that I couldn’t let them do that.
“But they told me: ‘We’re paying for your meal’. They said they had talked about it among themselves and they wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“I am so grateful to them. I didn’t mention that my wife died a few years ago but when I got talking to a few of them at my end of the table, I did mention it was my birthday.”
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Reflecting on the incident, Mr Leigh said he felt reminded of positivity in the community.
He continued: “There is so much darkness in the world at the moment with Ukraine, Venezuela and Trump that it warms my heart.”
A spokesman for Caffe Caruso said: “It’s not the first time something like that has happened.
“Sometimes people see someone dining alone and then they pay for their meal.”
Punters at the Cheshire cafe
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