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Good Samaritans In Ickenham
Your editor never expected to become part of an article in
ICN, but the following is a true story that happened to
him in June.
I had been carrying out a great deal of soil excavation from
my garden, to make way for a water feature, and needed to rid
myself of the spoil. Loaded with sacks of clay my Micra was creaking
towards the local recycling centre when its engine cut out, in
Harvil Road, just past Highfield Drive.
I managed to coast up on to the pavement, and came to a halt
outside a house. Up went the bonnet, but there was no obvious
sign of an electric fault and clearly the petrol was flowing.
What to do? Of course I had not bothered to take my mobile 'phone
with me and had left at home my tool kit!
A kind chap just driving out from another house allowed me to
use his mobile to call home, but I had to leave a message on
my own answering machine! What to do next?
A few minutes later Alan Richards arrived in a white van, pulled
up and stopped in his drive to ask me what had happened. On explaining
to him, and without a second's thought, he immediately swung
into action. He retrieved a towrope and dragged my Micra from
the pavement up into his drive. He then insisted that we go indoors,
have a cooling drink, and 'phone home again before assisting
me to unload my car and place the cubic yard of soil in his van.
Alan then took me to the dump where we unloaded the sacks. Not
content with this he drove me to my house.
I am not yet finished! In Eleanor Grove we met my wife who was
in our second car just on her way to answer my calls for help.
All three of us returned to Harvil Road from where I towed the
'heap', and Alan insisted on steering it back to Rectory Way.
Throughout the incident Alan, and his wife Jean, were concerned,
calm, collected and kind. I'm sure that they had far more important
things to do than help a stranger out of luck on a dangerous
road, but they didn't think twice about their own situation.
They went well beyond what could have been expected and even
proffered a contact number for a local mobile mechanic.
It just goes to show that good Samaritans are alive and living
in our community today. I thank them sincerely for what they
did. I hope I can say I would have done exactly the same for
a stranger in need. I wonder if you would have done so too? Maybe
in Ickenham there are far more caring neighbours than we think!
Maybe you have a similar Good Samaritan story worthy of publishing
in future editions of ICN? Contact me if you have.
Editor
P.S. The electrical fault turned out to be, very unusually,
a fractured contact point spring within the distributor. It couldn't
be seen until prodded with a screwdriver! The local mechanic
was from AMT on 01895 632603 or 07956 392988 email: amt@amserve.com
. I now carry my mobile 'phone and Harvil Road is in the Parish
of St Mary, Harefield so it does not receive ICN!
Filming Mania In Ickenham!
During the final days of May, and the first in June, Ickenham
was 'besieged' by film companies. First was a five-day stint
in Woodlands Close with Hartswood Films creating an episode for
a new BBC sitcom series starring Neil Morrissey. The crew first
wanted to shoot in Breakspear Road West before deciding to change
location to Woodland Close. They even wanted to use Rectory
Way so that they could film over the houses and into the selected
Woodland Close rear garden. While the 'plug' was being pulled
on that idea another company, AFM, decided to use Eleanor Grove,
and Derwent Avenue, for the making of a Smarties advertisement.
An Eleanor Grove front garden was kitted out with temporary circular
flowerbeds and short white fencing and dog kennels while the
home in Derwent Avenue was engulfed in artificial snow. I wonder
if, or when, we will see either finished product on our television
screens?
Editor
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