Struggling mum left in tears after pizza delivery man's selfless gesture

[Cherie]

Astruggling mum was left distraught when her daughter ordered a pizza without her knowing - and was shocked by the kindness of the delivery driver as she revealed she couldn't afford to pay for it. When the woman realised her 11-year-old had placed the order on her tablet she promised she would scrape the £18.50 together by the next day after breaking down in tears at the door.

Francesca Emmott from Colne, Lancashire, had just come home from a two-week holiday in Cyprus with her kids and parents on August 17, but due to unforeseen financial struggles, the mum-of-two headed straight for the foodbank. So when she realised her daughter had ordered herself and her three-year-old brother a Margherita pizza and was unable to pay, she didn't know what to do.

Luckily, the driver spoke to his boss at Pronto, their favourite Pizza restaurant in Colne, Lancashire, and reassured the tearful mum-of-two not to worry when she said she would find the money to pay it back. Just days later, the 32-year-old mum picked up a note through her window containing £40 from the delivery driver that said: "Here is something for you and your family. It's not much, but from my heart, that day it broke me. Hope your daughter enjoyed the pizza."

Francesca explained: "I heard the door go and when I answered it I said 'I've not ordered a pizza. They were saying, 'You have, it's definitely for you' and my daughter was stood behind me. I looked at her and she was crying. She said 'Mum, I've ordered it I'm sorry'. We normally get delivery after we've come back from holiday, but I hadn't turned around to Ella to tell her we were struggling.

"I wouldn't want to put my financial situation on the kids. Normally I'd have paid for the pizza and told her to just not do it again but I couldn't even do that, I was so broke. I was just crying to the delivery man, I was in floods of tears saying 'I'm so sorry'. That's how broke we were."

As she begged for the pizza to be returned, the delivery driver managed to call the owner and explained the situation that Francesca would scrape the money together by the next day as she cried and promised she wasn't going to rip them off. He told her not to worry and left the pizza with her, and a few days later came across the note.

She added: "I was crying my eyes out [on the phone]. I said 'I'm not gonna rip you off' and promised I'd get them £20 tomorrow. The delivery man gave me a hug and said 'Don't worry about it, I've got problems as well' then left. Our letterbox doesn't work, but I'd left the living room window open on Monday.

"I saw a note on the windowsill and it said: 'To Mummy and family'. I opened it and I just cried. My daughter cried too. I just couldn't believe it. It was so kind. It's mad, I've never had anyone do that for me before. I think he's even sorted the pizza out because they've not been back for my money. I think he's been in and said don't charge them for the pizza."

Francesca, who is studying psychology at the Open University, has tracked down the anonymous and met up with him to express her gratitude as he said it "touched his heart" when he saw Francesca's daughter crying like that, and admitted that he's in a difficult situation himself.

Pronto Pizza has been contacted for comment

so many things wrong with this story I just cant even process :laugh:

[Cherie]

This story continues to give

A struggling single mother claims she was forced to use a foodbank after splurging £1,000 on a holiday romance - only for her 'skint' lobster-chomping boyfriend to 'ghost' her once she returned to the UK.

Francesca Emmott said she had spent weeks saving up before flying out to Cyprus for a two-week holiday with her two kids and parents last month.

But within the first three days of the trip, her new beau begged to come join them. As they had been on several cinema and restaurant dates, she decided to take the plunge.

The lovestruck 32-year-old old paid almost £300 for the man to come and join her but soon regretted it.

She claimed he turned up and said he was 'skint', meaning she had to pay for 'everything' from cocktails to fresh lobster.

He watched on as she borrowed money from her parents, her children's father and friends until she had blown an extra £1,000 on the holiday she said felt 'like a honeymoon'.

By the time she returned home, she had to resort to using a food bank just a week later after claiming she was plunged into 'a bad situation' and left with 'a lot of debt'.

Following the holiday, the man also had stopped speaking to her, telling friends Francesca was 'not his type'.

Thousands had been moved reading online of how Francesca said she had even struggled to scrape together £18.50 for a large margherita pizza that her daughter innocently ordered without her knowledge.

Francesca has now insisted she would not have been in that situation had she not spent money paying for her boyfriend to come on their family holiday.

The mother-of-two has now spoken out warning other women of the dangers of trusting men too quickly - urging people to 'go with your gut instinct'.

Francesca, who is currently studying psychology at the Open University, said: 'He brought nothing but I just felt so happy to see him. I ran up to him when he arrived at the airport.

'I was feeling pretty lovestruck. It was a big holiday romance. Going out for dinner every night was so romantic, he was feeding me lobster. It was like a honeymoon.

'He was amazing with the kids. He spent more time with them than with me. He was playing in the pool, taking them out for walks with my little boy in the pram.

'I paid for everything: breakfast, lunches, teas, going out and having drinks. Even though it was all financially on me, it was amazing.

'We were on the beach and I'd run out of money. He watched me ring a family member to ask for more money.'

She said she had invited the man out on the trip after her new love-interest had met up with a former girlfriend, who she said had become very jealous and angry.

Worried about his safety, Francesca booked him onto the earliest flight out to join her and her family abroad.


:joker::joker::joker:

[Cherie]

Francesca, who is currently studying psychology at the Open University,

she could use herself as a case study

[MTVN]

Think she'd be better suited to a creative writing degree

[Crimson Dynamo]

young love :love:

[Vanessa]

Aw that's actually really sweet.:love:

[Niamh.]

I think Francesca may be having us on......

[Crimson Dynamo]

'He was amazing with the kids. He spent more time with them than with me. "

:joker:

[rusticgal]

...woman returns from HOLIDAY ABROAD...but cant afford to buy a pizza!!!


enough said...:laugh:

[Dogeatdog]

Sounds like the boyfriend just wanted a free holiday and some lobster.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Sounds like the boyfriend just wanted a free holiday and some lobster.

very frustacean for her

[Niamh.]

very frustacean for her

At Least she didn't give him crabs

[user104658]

Point 1 (the serious point): "Poverty porn" (Jeremy Kyle, Daily Star articles etc.) is crass and a bit gross. I recommend putting down the tabloids and reading this, if you want to read something that won't rot your brain.

Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass - Darren McGarvey (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poverty-Safari-Understanding-Britains-Underclass/dp/1529006341)

It is genuinely excellent.

Point 2 (less serious but still a bit serious): £18.50 for a Margherita??? I'd have told Pronto Pizza to get off my ****ing doorstep!! Like a fully loaded pizza with all the meaty trimmings MAYBE, but cheese and tomato? I'd have called the police and told them there was a daylight burglar at my door.

[Vanessa]

Point 1 (the serious point): "Poverty porn" (Jeremy Kyle, Daily Star articles etc.) is crass and a bit gross. I recommend putting down the tabloids and reading this, if you want to read something that won't rot your brain.

Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass - Darren McGarvey (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poverty-Safari-Understanding-Britains-Underclass/dp/1529006341)

It is genuinely excellent.

Point 2 (less serious but still a bit serious): £18.50 for a Margherita??? I'd have told Pronto Pizza to get off my ****ing doorstep!! Like a fully loaded pizza with all the meaty trimmings MAYBE, but cheese and tomato? I'd have called the police and told them there was a daylight burglar at my door.

Some pizza delivery places are very expensive.
I only get it when there's an offer and the price comes down.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Im amazed she got into her local foodbank as i thought they were rammed with Junior Doctors, Teachers, train drivers and nurses?

[user104658]

Some pizza delivery places are very expensive.
I only get it when there's an offer and the price comes down.

It's madness! The take away where I live (there are only two, a Chinese and an Indian/Kebab/Burger/Pizza etc type place :joker: ) does amazing pizzas and a 16" Margherita is £8.99 delivered! And it's massive. A more "reasonable sized" one is only £6.99!

I'd have thrown that pizza on the roof like Walter White, in an unbridled expression of rage.

£18.99 :fist:.

[arista]

Cherie
Why No Photo of her

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/struggling-mum-left-tears-after-30829966

[bots]

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article30830081.ece/ALTERNATES/n310p/0_PAY-Kennedy-News-and-Media.jpg

[Crimson Dynamo]

pink hair....

all makes sense now

[user104658]

pink hair....

all makes sense now

But the people in the comments saying "how can she have no money if she's just had her hair dyed".

... .... .... now I don't want to be mean but ... ...

[Redway]

It's madness! The take away where I live (there are only two, a Chinese and an Indian/Kebab/Burger/Pizza etc type place :joker: ) does amazing pizzas and a 16" Margherita is £8.99 delivered! And it's massive. A more "reasonable sized" one is only £6.99!

I'd have thrown that pizza on the roof like Walter White, in an unbridled expression of rage.

£18.99 :fist:.

Ditto. £18.99 should be the cost of pizza, chicken and chips, a drink and delivery-fee. Not the pizza itself.

[rusticgal]

But the people in the comments saying "how can she have no money if she's just had her hair dyed".

... .... .... now I don't want to be mean but ... ...


:laugh:

[Crimson Dynamo]

https://i2-prod.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article27625120.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Kind-pizza-delivery-man-Lancashire.png

[Crimson Dynamo]

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/14/74918743-12465721-image-a-8_1693490213038.jpg
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/14/74918735-12465721-image-a-7_1693490192723.jpg

[Cherie]

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/14/74918743-12465721-image-a-8_1693490213038.jpg
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/14/74918735-12465721-image-a-7_1693490192723.jpg

I think maybe she meant she was struggling under the weight of the false eyelashes and makeup

[Cherie]

Point 1 (the serious point): "Poverty porn" (Jeremy Kyle, Daily Star articles etc.) is crass and a bit gross. I recommend putting down the tabloids and reading this, if you want to read something that won't rot your brain.

Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass - Darren McGarvey (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poverty-Safari-Understanding-Britains-Underclass/dp/1529006341)

It is genuinely excellent.

Point 2 (less serious but still a bit serious): £18.50 for a Margherita??? I'd have told Pronto Pizza to get off my ****ing doorstep!! Like a fully loaded pizza with all the meaty trimmings MAYBE, but cheese and tomato? I'd have called the police and told them there was a daylight burglar at my door.

I dont need to read that, we were as poor as church mice growing up

[Crimson Dynamo]

i dont need to read that, we were as poor as church mice growing up

you were lucky

oh the luxury of a warm church and a roof over your head, we used to dream of that

we lived in an old watertank on a rubbish tip

[user104658]

I dont need to read that, we were as poor as church mice growing up

Yes but the "poverty as entertainment" stuff only really started in the late 90's... Jezza, sensationalised tabloid articles about benefits, all of the countless Channel 5 poverty reality shows ("Benefits Street", "Don't Pay We'll Take It Away" etc etc etc)

[smudgie]

Ruddy attention seeking twit by the look of it.:fist: