Lucky break

A woman who fell and broke her hip may not have been found for several hours if a quick-thinking postman had not come to her aid.

Philomena McParland was grateful for the appearance of ‘guardian angel’ Barry Convery after she slipped on a patch of concrete in her garden one morning.

Barry, who has worked at Newry delivery office in Northern Ireland for 23 years, said: ‘I arrived to deliver her post and spotted a pair of legs sticking out from behind the house. As it was a cold, damp, miserable day I thought, “She isn’t out sunbathing” and went to investigate.

‘Philomena was lying on the ground, as white as a ghost and clearly in a lot of pain.’

After fetching blankets and cushions to try and make her comfortable, Barry phoned for an ambulance.

‘This is a rural area with nobody around, so it was a good day for her to get a bill,’ joked Barry. ‘She had been lying there for 15 minutes and it could have been another six or seven hours before someone came home.’

Following extensive surgery on a shattered hip, Philomena is now recuperating at home.

‘The next time I saw her, she said “oh my guardian angel has come back to see me!” said Barry. ‘She’s doing great now, thankfully.’

Philomena’s niece Patrina Owens is full of praise for Barry’s efforts.

‘He was a true hero,’ she said. ‘We would like to thank him very much.’