Window Cleaning Charity & High Rise Rescue

A Santa costume to raise money. Click to super-size.

Window cleaner aiming to raise £1,000 for cancer charity: A window cleaner is planning to go to work dressed as Father Christmas for the whole of December to raise money for a cancer charity. Levi Mitchell, 21, is hoping to raise £1,000 for Cancer Research after his colleague died from the disease last month. Mr Mitchell, who lives in East Road in West Mersea, works for Hanley Cleaning Services and plans to complete his December window rounds around Essex in a Santa suit. He was prompted to raise money after friend Russell Stevenson, 53, died in November. “Russell was diagnosed six months ago and by then they had caught it too late and they couldn’t do anything for him,”

Mr Mitchell said. “He was the one who got me into the trade, I didn’t know what to be doing before he asked me to become a window cleaner so I owe him a lot.” He added: “Cancer seems to be hitting people more and more now. “I know from my own experience, and we have all had family affected by it.” Mr Mitchell is hoping customers and neighbours of customers will contribute while he works in the run up to Christmas. “I won’t be hard to miss,” he added.

High-rise rescue drama: Two window cleaners feared for their lives yesterday after they got stuck on a suspended platform on the 18th floor of a building in Manama's business district. They tried to hold on to the cables of the platform, which was swinging due to strong winds, for 15 minutes before they were rescued by firemen. The Indians, both in their 40s, were cleaning the windows of Al Salam Tower in the Diplomatic Area when an electrical malfunction stopped the platform from operating, leaving the workers stranded mid-air.

Passers-by heard the men's screams and called police and the Civil Defence, who managed to tie ropes around them and pull them to safety from the rooftop. "We reached the scene in around five minutes at 10.10am," said a fireman at the scene. "We hurried to save the men by going in the elevator which took us to the roof of the building. "We then dangled a rope, which is used specifically in these kinds of situations, which was wrapped around the bodies of the workers and we then lifted them up to the roof."

It is understood the men worked for Abdul A'al Cleaning and Maintenance Establishment, which was contracted to work on the building. Two fire engines carrying around 15 firemen rushed to the scene and police blocked all roads near the building to carry out the rescue mission. Officials at the scene claimed the malfunction occurred due to poor maintenance and urged cleaning companies not to send their workers on jobs during bad weather conditions. "In such weather conditions, where it is windy, companies should avoid using the suspended platform to clean windows, because they swing from side to side putting workers' lives at risk," said a policeman.

"There are at least four other buildings that we can see right now that are using these suspended platforms when it is windy. "We get a lot of similar cases where the window cleaners are stuck in mid-air fighting for their lives. "We are always ready for such cases that occur in the community, but we urge companies to help us by not using suspended platforms in poor weather conditions." An eyewitness, who works in a nearby building, said he had seen repeated incidents in the area where workers were put in danger. "This is not the first time I see workers hanging in midair due to a malfunction. These companies have the same problem occurring over and over again," said Hamed Shah. "However, the civil defence arrived very quickly, they went on the roof and lifted the workers up by a rope in a very professional manner."

The GDN reported in May that Pakistani Mohammed Shafique Siddique, who used to work as a window cleaner, plunged 17 floors to his death after the cables of a suspended platform he was working on snapped. He was cleaning the windows of the Al Rossais Tower in the Diplomatic Area when one of the cables broke at 7.30am, dropping the 48-year-old onto the ground. An Asian employee of the tower, who asked Mr Siddique to clean the windows of the building, is currently standing trial for manslaughter.