State of grace

A very grateful customer in Norwich has expressed her heartfelt thanks in a letter to her local postman, for saving her life.

Postman Paul Bacon, from Great Yarmouth Delivery Office, was on his round in Lingwood when he heard Grace Stanley shouting for help.

Mrs Stanley had been alone in her kitchen when a vein in her foot burst and began spurting blood all over the floor.

‘I managed to get myself on the floor but then couldn’t move,’ said Mrs Stanley in the letter she wrote to delivery office manager, Stephen Thatcher, at Norwich Mail Processing Unit. ‘When I heard Paul delivering the mail I shouted to him and he opened the door and saw what a mess I was in.’

Paul immediately called for an ambulance and followed the instructions the call operator gave him to help stem Mrs Stanley’s bleeding. At her request, he also called her neighbour for assistance.

‘The ambulance arrived promptly, quickly followed by my husband,’ said Mrs Stanley. ‘By this time, I was feeling none too well! It transpired that I had lost approximately three and a half pints of blood and if it hadn’t been for Paul, I could have bled to death.

‘Both my husband and myself have thanked Paul profusely, but I feel that it would be nice for Royal Mail to acknowledge that they have a dedicated and loyal member of staff who is willing to go beyond the call of duty to help someone in distress.’

Speak after the event, Paul said: ‘I knew something was wrong when I heard Grace calling “help”. I knew it was serious. I’m just glad I was there at the right time and able to help.’