Good Samaritan saves Beauly travellers from bus wait in cold
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A Good Samaritan saved Highland News and Media reporter from sub-zero temperatures after two buses failed to show up in Beauly.
Val Sweeney was left out in the cold for more than 30 minutes yesterday morning as she waited with others for the first bus to take her from the village to Inverness.
Returning for the next bus, she waited with several other passengers some of whom were already running late for work.
It had still not turned up after 20 minutes when a stranger pulled over and asked if anyone wanted a lift.
Three of them – including Val – took up the kind gesture, while another woman from Ukraine had also accepted a lift.
"We hear a lot about Christmas spirit at this time of the year, but this was something extra special," Val said, who also writes for the Ross-shire Journal. "I was so relieved because I could hardly feel my fingers, given it was so cold.
"It's a shame two scheduled times were missed by the bus and there wasn't any communication from Stagecoach that we could see as to why.
"There is no electronic sign at the stop in Beauly and one of the other passengers tried unsuccessfully to get through to the bus company.
"Obviously the conditions have been wintry for the past few days.
"I'm sincerely grateful to the kind-hearted woman who saw us and decided to see if she could do something to help."
She added that anyone reliant on public transport to get from Beauly to Inverness this morning struggled as the trains were also not running due to strike action.
Have you been helped by a Good Samaritan during these wintry conditions? Let us know by emailing newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk
