Villagers rally round as Trevor shatters hip

Kind hearted villagers gather round to help injured Trevor

Kind-hearted villagers have won praise for helping a seriously injured pensioner on a busy roadside.

And North-West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has apologised to 81-year-old Trevor Morgan over the time it took for him to be taken to hospital after he was left in agony — his hip shattered — in the cold on the pavement.

Mr Morgan, from Diggle, fell while walking on Chew Valley Road, Greenfield, on Monday. Locals, helped by PCSO Lee Lockwood, wrapped him in blankets and comforted Mr Morgan until medical help arrived almost an hour later.

One of the first on the scene was first-aider Stephen Wood (48), who runs Diggle Chippy with his wife Rachel.

He said: “I was driving past and saw the man on the ground. I rushed over because he was in tremendous pain. We made him comfortable and another lady and other locals stayed with him.”

Scott Dearden (49), landlord of the nearby Wellington pub, said: “It was a very cold and I brought two blankets to keep him warm. He was very distressed and obviously in a lot of pain, but everyone rallied round.”

As her husband was later recovering at Royal Oldham Hospital after surgery on his broken hip, Trevor’s wife Jean said: “We have been very touched by the immense kindness and concern shown to Trevor.

“We’d like to thank everyone who helped, including PCSO Lockwood, and others who were complete strangers. This really shows how caring Saddleworth people are.”

A NWAS spokesman said: “The Trust offers its sincere apologies to the patient for any distress. Waiting for an ambulance can be a very stressful time. Unfortunately the Trust was experiencing a high demand for its services – there were 52 life-threatening or potentially life-threatening incidents in the Greater Manchester area alone.”