Good samaritan saves "Stranded Steve"

Motorist responds to stranded tourist's call for help after hearing appeal on MFR News

Published 29th Jan 2016

As Storm Gertrude knocked down trees, closed bridges and caused disruption to public transport, most of us had an alternative option for getting where we needed to be.

This wasn't the case for one man and his wife in the Highlands today.

Steve Dunn was enjoying a short break in Aviemore with his wife, Karen, when Storm Gertrude forced ScotRail to cancel his train home to Edinburgh.

As if that wasn’t bad enough Steve is a carer for his 80 old mother and must return home as the temporary care she has ends today.

Looking for alternatives, Steve was quoted almost £200 to get a taxi as far as Perth.

Once the news team here at MFR got word of this we contacted him to offer assistance.

MFR listener Lorraine Kelly was driving from Wick to Glasgow and she got in touch to offer to take them as far as Stirling.

She told our reporter: "I just felt really bad that he had to get back to his mum and his mum wasn't well and there were no trains until tonight.

"I thought, I'm going to be passing there in 10 minutes, I can offer him a lift.

"It's my good deed for the day"

ScotRail services across the whole of the MFR area have been affected today as a result of Storm Gertrude's high winds, with buses replacing trains on a reduced timetable between Inverness and Perth.

Following calls from MFR, the rail operator refunded Steve's ticket as a gesture of goodwill.

Storm Gertrude 0, Steve Dunn 1.