A former Team GB canoe polo star has been awarded nearly £150,000 after being forced to drive overnight from Germany for a meeting that her boss never attended. Bethan Littlewood, 29, was competing at the European Canoe Polo Championships in September 2023 when she was ordered to return to Britain for a last-minute meeting with managers at Nuffield Health.
Upon arriving at the gym in Bridgend, South Wales, on time, the personal trainer discovered that her manager, James Cheadle, was elsewhere attending training due to being double-booked. The employment tribunal described this incident as the final straw for Miss Littlewood, a European gold medallist who survived stage three ovarian cancer at age 15.
She resigned shortly after and successfully sued Nuffield Health for unfair dismissal, unlawful deductions from wages, unpaid holiday pay, and suffering detriment after making protected disclosures. The tribunal awarded her £149,017, with Employment Judge Samantha Moore branding the company's treatment as contemptuous and wholly unreasonable.
The tribunal heard that Miss Littlewood had requested annual leave months earlier to compete in Germany, but the request was rejected while she was already abroad and signed off sick with stress. Despite this, managers insisted she attend a meeting on September 12, 2023, prompting her to drive overnight because she feared disciplinary action after already being handed a final written warning.
Judge Moore stated: 'To refuse leave requested months earlier, knowing what competing meant to [Miss Littlewood], and require her to attend a meeting and then not bother to turn up was contemptuous and wholly unreasonable.'
Miss Littlewood said: 'It's been a long time in the making, and it's been a bit of a process and it's hard to say you're happy after everything you've been through, but it's something, you know? The craziest thing is, the whole time they were like 'You haven't got a case'. I was thinking there's no way what you've done is right.'
She claimed that Nuffield Health tried to pressure her into withdrawing her claims. Miss Littlewood had been part of the Great British canoe polo team that won gold at the 2019 European Championships. At age 15, she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer, from which she recovered after about two years.
The tribunal in Cardiff heard that Miss Littlewood worked as a personal trainer with Virgin Active from 2015 before her employment transferred to Nuffield Health in Bridgend in 2016. In June 2022, she reported a new Fitness Manager, Declan Morris, for conducting a Ministry of Defence fitness test on someone with elevated blood pressure. After she raised the issue, Morris reacted in a hostile manner and began withholding three hours of pay per week.
In October 2022, Miss Littlewood complained about Morris, stating he was bullying her and withholding wages. Morris then reported her for not following shift times, despite not properly informing her of rota changes. Her pay was significantly reduced in November and December 2022, causing financial hardship. A customer reported Morris in November 2022, describing his behaviour as 'menacing and threatening, belittling and humiliating her in front of me.'
Miss Littlewood's bullying grievance was not upheld by Nuffield Health, and the customer complaint was not mentioned during the investigation by James Cheadle. She was signed off with stress in early 2023. In May 2023, a disciplinary hearing alleged she falsely claimed inflated pay, resulting in a final written warning upheld on appeal.
In June 2023, she requested annual leave for September 5 and 12, which was declined by Morris on September 7 because she was on sick leave. She had already travelled to Germany when Cheadle required her attendance on September 12 at 1pm. The tribunal noted: 'Miss Littlewood, very conscious she was on a final written warning, drove back through the night from Germany to make sure that she was at the meeting.'
Upon arrival, she was told Cheadle was in Newbury attending training. Cheadle admitted he was double-booked and chose to attend training, but Miss Littlewood was not informed she could speak to the general manager. This incident was the last straw, leading to her resignation.
Judge Moore concluded that the disciplinary allegations should never have been escalated and that accusing Miss Littlewood of dishonesty was wholly unreasonable. Miss Littlewood has since retired from competitive canoe polo and now coaches the Danish women's team. After several years of job searching, she joined the Royal Marines Reserves and works as a sports coach for a Local Authority.
