A 76-YEAR-OLD who forgot about a pension he took out in the 1980s received the ‘shock of his life’ when a cheque for £32,000 came through his letterbox.
Dave Hodson, landlord of the Gate Inn in Hoyland from 1977 to 1984, invested a small monthly sum as a ‘favour’ to his former area manager, who took a new job in pensions. He can’t remember the man’s last name, but he was also a ‘Dave’.
Formerly of Lambert Road, Kendray, ex-miner Dave ‘completely forgot’ about the pension having moved to Preston.
“As the amount was so small each month, I didn’t really bat an eyelid,” he said. “I started it in about 1980 and wanted to be my former area manager’s first customer in his new job as he’d always been great with me.
“I got the shock of my life when I opened a letter last week as it contained the cheque. The pension had matured and apparently the company, which has since been bought out by another firm, had encountered difficulties in getting hold of me.
“My wife, Betty, is a proper Yorkshire lass so she’s already claimed it. We’ll be using it to carry out some home improvements.”
