Altruistic Alethea volunteers and cleans a filthy West Ealing car park

Much of the time social media (and media in general) is full of crime reports and general doom and gloom, but occasionally, just occasionally, something different and more positive appears. This week the lady pictured above is that beacon of light.

She may be unknown to most but in a West Ealing carpark she goes about her (totally volunteer) job of cleaning up the general detrius twice a week.

In her 70s, Alethea also helps out at All Saints Church in Isleworth and those who know her describe her as a totally remakable lady with the energy of a 20-year-old.

A man from West Ealing recently saw her cleaning the car park and spoke to her to find out more. He said: ''On Mondays and Thursdays she comes and cleans Maitland Yard, a car park in West Ealing which is frequently used by drunks and addicts. When they are around she, apparently, confronts them about the mess they make, then she cleans it up. No one asked her to, she does not get paid, she travels from Isleworth to do it.''

He told Ealing Today.co.uk, ' Alethea is something of a legend, a myth around here, a bit like West Ealing’s version of Batman! She works alone, anonymously, and up until I saw her today, Sunday 19th May 2019, I’m not sure I believed she existed.

'' Why would anyone come to one of the least attractive, most neglected parts of the area and silently dedicated their time to such a place? What could they hope to gain? There is nothing to gain materially, do such people, willing to do the right thing for its own sake, still exist? Apparently they do, apparently it doesn’t take a cloak or a billionaire background to do the right thing. Alethea has shown me what I could do to be a better person, and she has robbed me of all my excuses.''

Do you have a local hero you'd like to highlight or any other positive news story?
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editor@ealingtoday.co.uk

22 May 2019