Daughter praises bin crew for helping her elderly mum after a fall

A HYDE bin crew who came to the aid of an elderly woman who had fallen have been praised by her daughter for their caring actions.

Jaki Jones told how she was visiting her parents, Harry, 93, and Maureen, 92, in Newton, when her mum fell in the house.

She said: “Mum has recently come home from hospital after suffering a stroke and is very frail. Dad is also recovering from a recent heart attack and we weren’t strong enough to get her up off the floor on our own and desperately needed some help.

“I ran out into the street and saw the bin men and asked if they could come and help us.”

Tameside Council bin crew driver Kane Dillon and Scott Bail and Chris Bell rushed to assist Jaki, following her into her parents’ home to help lift her mum from the floor.

Jaki said: “They came to assist without any hesitation. They were beautiful with my mum and one of them even said to me afterwards that he really hoped that my mum would be all right, which really touched me.

“What they did was amazing – it may seem like only a small thing but it made all the difference to us as a family. It meant we were able to help mum straight away and didn’t have to call an ambulance.

“Mum is doing okay now thanks to their help. They were lovely, lovely men and I will never forget their kindness. They were adorable and showed real community spirit.

“Mum and dad have been married for 71 years and have lived in that house since 1972 – it’s really good to know they live in a place where people still care about others. I’m proud to be from Tameside.”

Tameside Council Executive Member for Environmental Services and Neighbourhoods Cllr Laura Boyle said: “This is really heartwarming to hear and shows that we’re all part of a very caring and close knit community in Tameside. I’m so glad the crew were there at the right place at the right time to help and I’m really grateful to them for their caring actions.

“Thank you also to Jaki for sharing her thanks with them – our bin crews are really hard working, as well as community minded, and this positive recognition is well deserved. Finally my best wishes to Maureen and Harry, they sound like a wonderful couple and I hope they are both doing okay.”

Maureen and Harry are now in touch with the council’s Community Response Service, a 24/7 telecare and emergency response service that supports adults to live independently at home, so they have support going forward.