Letter: I Want To Thank the People of Guildford

Published on: 24 Jul, 2015
Updated on: 24 Jul, 2015

From Garry Drake

On Tuesday, July 21st, my elderly mother and I decided to take a day trip to Guildford. We arrived at 09.15 from the Isle of Wight. Having spent the morning having a lovely time, visiting, we decided to head closer to home and spend the rest of the day in Portsmouth.

We headed off to the train station from the Friary at around 13.30. There was a sign pointing the way to the railway station and some scaffolding around the front of a building . Suddenly my mother tripped on a man hole cover and feel to the ground.

Some people stopped and asked if they could help. Having no idea the names of the roads etc. I quickly handed my mobile phone to a lady and asked her to phone for an ambulance which thankfully that she did.

Having contacted the ambulance service, two young off duty nurses came along and stopped to help. They said were not from the Royal Surrey County Hospital but, if I remember correctly, the Farnham Road Hospital.

I was grateful that they took charge of the situation, looking after my mother and talking to the ambulance service relaying the necessary information. I do know that one nurses gave her name to the ambulance service, unfortunately I was more interested in my mum’s health than remembering names.

A passing ambulance stopped, I think it was a patient transport ambulance. The crew got out, also to help, while we waited for the main ambulance to arrive. There were lots of passing people asking if they could help ranging from more off duty nurses to the passing public offering water etc that they had obviously just purchased from a shop somewhere.

Eventually the ambulance arrived and the two nurses helped the crew. Once my mum was ready to go to the hospital the two nurses shook hands with me and left. Regrettably I never took their names as both, my mother and myself would like to thank them properly for the great help and comfort they gave to my mum.

The ambulance crew were very good to my mum from start to finish. The staff at the Royal Surrey County Hospital were great helping us as best they could regarding getting us out to go home as quickly as possible.

Having phoned for a taxi which arrived in minutes took us to the train station. Once there I was doing my best to help my mother when the station staff opened the gate for us and asked if they could help.

We wanted platform 4 the train going to Portsmouth harbour which we would have to walk down the ramp and up the other side. The Southwest train chap got a wheelchair for my mum and pushed her from platform to platform and once the train arrived he helped us on the train and said he would phone Portsmouth Harbour and arrange for a member of staff to meet us with a wheelchair.

Sure enough we arrived, the staff member was the waiting and helped us off the train. He wheeled my mum to the catamaran where the staff at Wightlink let the Southwest trains chap push her through a door they opened for him so he could wheel her onto the Catamaran. They said they would also contact Ryde staff to get a wheelchair to help her off, which they did.

We would very much like to put something in your paper thanking the people of Guildford for their kind help when passing us, asking if they could help in one way or another, the ambulance and hospital staff, and the staff at Southwest trains and Wightlink, but especially the two young nurses who stopped from virtually the time it happened to the time my mum was on the stretcher ready to leave in the ambulance.

I do hope that they will see this or, if not,  someone will read it and pass the message on.

Everyone was absolutely great in the help they gave to us and especially to my mum.

I will pass this on to The Farnham Road Hospital, The Royal Surrey County Hospital and to staff at Guildford Railway Station so that, hopefully, those involved can receive your thanks. Ed.

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