A stranger you'll never forget.

[SallyIsEverSoNice]

I'm sure there's a slot on a BBC radio show about this, but I wondered if there is a stranger who did something to help you that you wish you could thank.

Years ago I was travelling alone by train to meet up with a group of friends. It was in the days when Wembley Stadium was being refurbished and there was a big football match final (I think Liverpool v West Ham or similar) being held in Cardiff, where I had to change trains.

I got off the train, walked along the platform into a huge group of fans, somehow turned around and smacked my forehead so hard into a cast iron pillar that I knocked myself out momentarily. When I came round, an older (60's? Maybe 70's) last was helping me up, sat me on a bench and checked me over and got me onto a train, she even carried my case. She made me promise I'd phone the friends I was meeting, which I did.
I never got a chance to get her name, let alone thank her, as it wasn't her train and she vanished. I spent the weekend with a golf ball sized lump on my forehead but I really appreciated the kindness she showed.

Has anyone ever helped you and you didn't get a chance to thank them?

Many many years ago I was at uni and desperately unhappy. I’d just rented a room in a shared house but decided I needed to leave. I didn’t know where I stood legally so went to the local CAB . I hadn’t told anyone yet about my decision. I saw a man in his early 50s. As I started to speak I started sobbing uncontrollably. I explained I was so worried about upsetting my parents as it had been their dream to send me to university. He just gently held my hand and said if I were his daughter he’d be devastated if I couldn’t tell him how I was feeling. He assured me all my parents wanted was for me to be happy.
He was so lovely . Sadly these days he wouldn’t be allowed to hold my hand but I know that gesture really helped me too. I’m tearing up just remembering this

There was a film crew inLiverpool with big raised cables across the footpath. I tripped and smashed my face. Immediately this young woman appeared, sat with me, hugged me, stayed with me until my son arrived. The production crew had people come and attend to me but they sent her away before I could properly thank her.
I often think about her kindness.

It was actually a mumsnetter.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was fairly young for it. I posted on the cancer boards so full of despair that she messaged me, then she rang me and she talked me off the pathway of despair I was on (I was so scared I was wanting to kill myself rather than go through it all)

I never met her, but she was so kind.

She is now sadly passed away, and I think a blanket was made for her on here.

I hope she knows how much she did for me that day.

I had just passed my driving test and was driving my friends to college and getting VERY stressed out trying to parallel park on the street.

after what felt like forever, a man came out of the house I was trying to park in front of and asked if I would like him to park the car.

I was on the verge of tears at this point and very thankful, I always used to park outside his house if there was a space after that, and on my last day of college I left a bottle of whisky (I’d seen empty bottles of it in the glass bin occasionally) out side his door and a note to say thanks for letting me park outside his house for two years.

Then once I was on my own getting sick from too much drugs at a festival, and a girl and her boyfriend came and bought me water and sat with me until I felt better, then walked with me back to my tent to make sure I got back okay.

I like this one especially, I think because whereas it is nice to help people who are in a fix through no fault of their own, when someone is 'at fault' ie has made a mistake (like falling asleep, drinking too much or whatever) I think It's even nicer. I was brought up by a parent who liked to 'blame' and find fault and felt that people deserved to suffer if they had. (eg. when I was a child I locked myself out once and he told me he was glad (when he returned home hours later) that I was so cold I almost passed out because it was my fault. Even grown adults with high intelligence can accidently lock themselves out. I can imagine him saying something 'it was his fualt he got mugged he shouldn't have been so drunk' or 'It's her fault she got attacked, she shouldn't have been walking by herself'.

And not many people have never drunk too much especially while young. I'm waffling but I think I mean, It's nice to help people even when they've done something a bit stupid-we've all done it. To err is human as a wise man once said.

Yes, it’s been said twice. Lots of men are great and some are not. I think we all recognise that. But this thread is not about that …

My DS was quite a handful at times when little, and I'd just picked him up from school, hearing another story of a little fight he'd got into. We were on the bus and I was talking calmly to him about what to do when someone angers you, why they might be doing it, all that stuff. An older man leaned over and told me I was a great parent. I still well up. I did not ever feel like a great parent, because I had never had great parenting myself, but I was trying, and he really made me feel good that day.

When I went home from uni, I tended to get the later trains as it was less busy. One time, there was hardly anyone on the train so it had a number of empty carriages. A man came on and sat next to me, he started harassing me to the point he asked me to kiss him and despite me moving seats (to empty carriages) he followed me. The train conductor came down the train after seeing the man following me, he asked him to move to another carriage ,which he did eventually. The conductor said he had a daughter the same age and wanted to check I was ok and safe. He escorted me off the train when I got to my stop to make sure the guy didn't follow me off. I still see him on occasion on the train and he's honestly such a lovely man. I dread to think what would have happened if he hadn't intervened.

I was in Santa Monica and I saw a homeless man with a cat and we started chatting and his name was Rex and his cat was called little Rex - I’ll never forget them and I hope he’s doing well.

One afternoon I called my dad for a chat and a young woman answered the phone - he had passed out on the train and was very unwell, they had paramedics waiting at the next station. She'd seen his phone ringing and it said "Eldest Daughter" (that's my dad's idea of humour) so she answered and told me where they were, what was happening, and my mum was able to go and meet the ambulance. Really above and beyond!

When I was at uni, at a paid singing gig I'd got the bus to there was a break of a few hours between rehearsal and performance which I hadn't expected. I couldn't get home and back and there was nowhere to wait - and it was pouring with rain. An older woman took me back to her house, fed me and when I left gave me an umbrella to keep! It was so unexpected and I wish I'd made note of her name and address.

When my Mum had been diagnosed with breast cancer and I stopped on the way home from work to buy her some flowers.

Some chap in the queue in front of me asked me if they were for me and I explained about my Mum and I'd bought them for her. Before I knew what had happened he grabbed another couple of bunches, paid for them and gave them me 'for my Mum'.

What a lovely thread.

A few years ago I had a front tyre blow out doing about 85mph on the fast lane of the motorway in a SUV. Car slid all over the place and eventually stopped by the central reservation facing sideways. Motorway was really busy and I was petrified as cars kept swerving round. I called 999 and a lovely lady on the end of the phone told me to get out of the car and stand between the central reservation barriers, and said she had put a call out and would wait on the phone with me. Literally within a couple of minutes an unmarked police car came up with lights on and stopped 3 lanes of traffic behind him to pick up tyre debris from the motorway. Then the policeman from the car came up and very calmly (and so friendly!) asked if I was Ok and helped me push the car onto the hard shoulder where I could call the AA from. He was a very normal middle aged chap but he was my hero that day and I’ll never forget him (and the lovely call handler).

I was pissed as a fart walking home to my student house. A car was following me.. and woman noticed the car and walked me all the way home.

She might have saved my life.

I was skiing alone one time and when I got to the top of the mountain (off the chair lift) it was so foggy I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. I had no idea which way the turns were and where the edge was. A man skiied past, saw my predicament and skiied in front of me, stopping at the corner of every turn and when I got to where he was, he skiied to the next corner. He stayed with me until the fog cleared further down then skiied off without a word.
I don't know how I would have got down without him

When I was younger my aunt had a nursing chair and I always wanted to have one when I had my baby idk the image of her rocking the baby to sleep in the chair just looked so "motherly"
One day I was on the bus about 6 months pregnant and it went past a second had shop which had a beautiful nursing chair and a rocking stool. looked almost new, I jumped off the bus to look at it knowing I probably couldn't have afforded it but still wanted to ask just in case I could put a deposit down till payday.
I went in and asked how much it was and the lady said "if you can find a way to get it home you can have it" I was totally gobsmacked and I know she could have sold it for at least £100 or more.
I asked her if she was sure and she said yes and that they were closing down soon, she gave be a large Winnie the Pooh framed Print as well and would not take anything for them, she said it was for the baby.
12 years later I still cant believe that happened, I wouldn't recognise her if I saw her again but she really touched my heart.

Perfect extreme sports etiquette.

I've done a lot of outdoor sports in my time, and was a very competent skier at one point. This man was a perfect example of how to respect the mountain, the weather and other skiers. I have no respect for the speed demon show offs out there.

I have a Copenhagen airport one as well! I had sprained my ankle a few days before and, while it was getting better, I took the crutches the minor injuries unit had given me, more as a warning to others that I couldn't get out of the way quickly than for actual support. Going from the arrival gate to the baggage reclaim (which wasn't really very far) a couple of guys driving one of those buggies that transport elderly or infirm people about stopped and insisted DH and I got on. They said they were going back to check-in for their next pick-up so might as well do it full as empty 😊

Years ago I had a basic bank account which didn't allow you to go overdrawn. I went overdrawn just before payday and they closed the account (it was in the contract) I had to go into branch and take my wages out when they went in. I then went to a different bank where I had long ago had a basic account I had not used in years to see if they could reactivate it. The lady I saw was so nice and kind when it was clear I was struggling financially, had gone overdrawn paying a vet bill and was on the edge emotionally. She said I am sure she we can do better than a basic account for you and was just so kind. She asked if my cat was better, chatted to my young son and I left feeling so much calmer and with a better account than I had to begin with.

Love all these, restores my faith..For me not just one stranger but a full village load..I was about 7, first holiday abroad in Corfu. Our B&B was up in the hills in the middle of nowhere, DM and I walking to Corfu Town, I trip and cut my knee, all these amazing women came out of their houses to fuss over me and fix me up..loved Greece and the Greeks ever since!

And also to all the people over the years who have offered help when my asd DS has been having a meltdown, the woman who packed my shopping in Asda for instance when my DS was distressed at the till, simple gestures from strangers which mean so much, being a parent with a child with asd can be so isolating,, school run was awful with the stares, strangers restore my faith.

Ha I have so many!

Friend and I dopey 19 year olds didn’t have enough money for our bus fare in Central America. Kind American man just paid our fares no fuss or recognition wanted. We would have been stranded otherwise.

Older woman I met at a party with my ex just whispered to me “dump him and move to London”. I did both those things and my life is incalculably better for it!

2
For me. An incredibly kind and sensible woman who was an FE lecturer I sat next to on a train when I was going off to a week long training course at work that I was dreading(I was 20). She gave me 2 peices of advice that I carried with me and changed my life. The first was, in any situation where you feel like you don't know what you are doing, answer the first question you can.
The second was act like you are not shy. Just pretend you are someone else.
The other kindness was a lovely man who gave DD £20 train fare home when she had her bag nicked in London, with her cards, phones etc

Sara Cox on Radio 2 has a feature , where you can nominate a kind stranger for something they did for you. It's called the Sara awards.

The first was, in any situation where you feel like you don't know what you are doing, answer the first question you can.

What does this mean?

I've got 3. Years ago when I was very young on a college trip I was abandoned by "friends" in London and a black cabbie kept me chatting, warned off some blokes in a car and took me to the pub to meet everyone free of charge. That man saved me.

When I was a young, exhausted and newly single mum pushing my DS in his stroller a much older lady made a point of telling me that I looked lovely.

When I had first passed my driving test and got completely stuck trying to get out of a parking space in tears an older gentleman got my car out.

There's a lot of bad in this world but angels walk amongst us.