Pay it Forward   I was telling a friend about something that happened to me a while ago (I will tell you the story shortly) and she said it was like the film ‘Pay it Forward’, she then went on to tell me about the film and the idea behind the story. I am now keen to see the film but in the meantime I have decided that I will pay it forward and this is how it all started;
Around a year ago I was getting petrol for my car, I put £10 in and went to pay only to realise my bank card was out of date and had expired. I asked if I could leave everything at the garage and drive home, get my new card and pay but they said no. I called my office (this was before Creative Content Company), and asked if they could pay. I took their card details and passed them to the person at the garage, they said it couldn’t work like this.

I frantically called round all my friends but it was 8.30am and everyone had left for work or was at work and couldn’t come down and pay. A friendly man came forward and paid the £10 for me; he refused to give me his details so I could give him the money back and instead wanted me to have it as a gift. I was flattered and so relieved by the whole thing that I burst into tears if happiness. A person that didn’t know me and I would probably never see again had helped me out, just because!

Months later I was at another garage and the lady in front of me was paying for her petrol, her card declined and she went back to her car and was rooting through the bags and compartments to find some change. She was £10 short, so I paid that amount for her, asking that she did the same thing in the future.
I was in a supermarket just last week, purchasing multiple amounts of sweets and chocolate for the office (it was to be a long day). While walking round the supermarket I came across a mother and her two young children multiple times. It soon became clear they were short of cash and the children were hungry. The mother said to the children they could have things like squash or crisps when pay day came next week but until then they had to just be a little careful.

I got to the till and she was in front of me, I had an arm full of treats that I was ready to drop and she let me go in front of her. I said No but she was insistent, so I went in front of her and put my items on the conveyor belt. After I paid I put £5 in the ladies hand, to help towards her shopping. I told her it was as a thank you so it didn’t feel like charity and she burst into tears of happiness. I was tingly all over; it felt so good to do something for somebody else and to make so much of an impact on someone and their life.

This was the start of me; Hazel Cottrell of Creative Content Company ‘paying it forward’ – this is a story that continues throughout and soon you will see the connection with Creative Content Company.