The best of British

While travelling to Newcastle in the UK to visit relatives, I arrived in London to find my plane transfer north to Newcastle had been cancelled due to deteriorating weather conditions.

The airline was helpful – offering me a choice between a night in a hotel or a six-hour bus ride to my destination. With no indication as to whether a flight to Newcastle would happen in the next two days, I chose the bus ride.

I stored all my baggage in the luggage compartment of the bus, thinking I would not need anything on the journey.

The young lady sitting beside me could see how tired I was and asked me if anyone would be meeting me on my arrival.

I realised that I had left my cell phone in my bag and had no way to contact my relatives. They would be waiting for me at the airport about five hours before the bus got to Newcastle, not knowing what had happened. Without hesitation, the young lady offered me the use of her cell phone.

When the bus made a rest stop, she asked me if I was getting out. I replied that I wouldn’t as I still had sandals on, and bare feet weren’t ideal for the cold weather. When she got back on, she’d bought me some tea and a packet of sweets to eat.

When we eventually arrived in Newcastle, the woman checked that someone was there to meet me. I asked her to wait a moment while I got my purse to repay her, but when I looked up she had gone. I was unable to even verbally thank her.