It seems lots of folks do great things for others just in the name of VW's and because they are 'bus people'. I had a kind chap drop off a Westy big top awning I bought from him. I told him I would pick it up by train as my bus is off the road at the moment. It was kind beacause he was working in Brighton and delivered it on his way to home in Dover via my address in north London! This must be 70 miles out of the way and probably added 4 hours to his journey. What great service and trust (that I would be at home and pay him). Thanks you Scott.
A very kind Penguin-obsessed veedubber discovered I'd left my bag (with wallet and keys and everything!) in a field at silly am and chased me over the other side of the site to return it. Sadly he was chasing the wrong person and tried to give Eveningstar my bag instead, but the thought was there )
Loudoo2 and the Wilmas kept me plied with hot drinks on the Sunday morning when our gas ran out at Busfreeze. Total lifesavers...
I ran out of petrol on the A45 due to my sketchy fuel gage, I was walking the 4 mile trip to the petrol station when a guy in a T4 drove up behind me and asked if it was my bus that had broken down. I wait it was and I had stupidly run out of petrol , he said no problem jump in and I will drive you to the petrol station so I did . He took me to the station and waited in a long line with me then turned around and drove me all the way back and made sure I got off ok. I know this is not a amazing story of kindness but the thing is he had a hot Chinese take away in the passenger foot well which would have been well cold by the time the ordeal was over. He is a better man than me if I have a hot take away and your stranded by the side of the road I'm going to have to say sorry in advance but your on your own
Around 81/82 I was involved in an accident on my Lambretta on the way home from work in Rochdale. Long story short this was on quite a remote road in heavy rain and after hitting two cars which absolutely inihalted the scooter i ended up sliding down the wet road for what seemed like an eternity ending up lying on my back in the wet road. As i lay there looking at the sky and wondering how dead I was a bearded face appeared asking me if I was alright. The guy checked me out, calmed me down and sat me in his bay with a hot cup of tea (ive always been able to smell a boiling kettle) before passing me a towel and telling me what a lucky barsteward I was. (from memory, which aint that good, the bus was a yellow Devon) I refused his kind offer of a lift home and decided to hang around for dibble to turn up.(which was probably a good move) Incidentally after surveying the scene of utter carnage I had left I walked to a lovely little pub just a few yards away and was suitably trollied by the time plod arrived. (probably not a good move) The guy in the bus had hung around and given a statement which fortunately backed mine up and also fortunately told the coppers where I was as they had started looking for me in nearby fields where the remains of the scooter were scattered. He also told them I wasnt drunk at the time but had gone for a drink to calm me down. Strange thing is I didnt really drink - think it was the shock really. Dibble were pretty cool about it and took me home also advising me how lucky I was. I remember walking out of the pub and it was now dark - sooo many blue lights. very embarassing. Also it was strange trying to convince the traumatised woman in the first car I hit that I was the rider and I wasnt actually dead. She calmed down a bit after that!
Logo once broke down at a busy T junction in South Manchester holding all the traffic up. Only one young lady got out of her car to help push the van across the junction but as we were going across the main road a single decker bus pulled sideways to block all lanes until we cleared the junction. The driver of the bus then pulled up in front of us, got out of his bus leaving all his passengers, came over to the van to make sure we were OK. It turns out he had a Beetle and just wanted to help out. Top bloke
When my bus caught fire in August 2008 a very kind guy in his Escort van stopped & used his fire extinguisher on my van. It didn't do any good but he did try & it cost him money I don't think I was even very nice to him as I was in such a panic. The Police that came Colin & Gail were very very friendly & nice to me so much so I can remember their names. A local family the Williamson stopped & as I was more concerned with the bus than my own safety they took my wife & my 2 daughters to their house & looked after them, Mr Williamson returned to collect me after the fire was out & took me back to his house. They offered us food, drink & a bed for the night. When I insisted I wanted to go home Mr Williamson offered me money he actually said " I can get £250 from the cash point & so can my wife, give it back when you can" I didn't accept but the offer was so kind. I can never thank these people for being so kind & we send them a Christmas card every year. One day I'll drive up to them to show them our new bus.
Shoe on the other foot, I was driving down the M4 passing J46 1 junction away from my hose when I saw a Split at the side of the road, I pulled in & the guy had his missus & new born baby in the van. His dash lights didn't work & he didn't know his belt had gone until the van cut out. I took him 2 junctions the other way to GSF to get a new one, then I drove him back & fitted it for him he didn't have any mechanical skills & didn't carry tools. The van & the engine looked mint mind. It turned out the over heated engine had stretched the studs & lost compression. I rang my M8 Pete in J & P motors & he recovered the van & fixed it for him that very same day, The guys total bill was £200 & it was the firs day of his holiday. The best bit was that he only lost about 6 hrs of it & spent the next 2 weeks down Pembroke with no other dramas. & we all live happily ever after.
Sorted a Late B on dead on. It' s knees on. petrol forecourt near me - bad battery earth, sorted timing on. LB near Brockenhurst Campsite around 3 years ago.
In 8 months of TLB membership, I've already lost count! There's so many I daren't list them for fear of forgetting somebody and upsetting them. Long live TLB!
A few years ago I broke down while on holiday and parked on a big grassy roundabout outside the police training college at Wool nr Wareham, Dorset. My drive shaft had come away. While contemplating my next move a man knocked on my window and asked if we was ok, I explained what was wrong. He said wait a minute ran back got his car which was parked down the road towed me to a safe quiet place had a quick look. He was no mechanic but an engineer. Rang his mate who a vw nut to see which size bolt we would need, ran home which was a few miles away and got me a few bolts that would do the job. Came back then relsed I would need some locktite so disapeard again came back, I fitted all the bits all was ok. He was quit offended when we offered him £20 to buy a drink. when we got back to the farm where we was staying and the owner was laughing at me as I was a bit oily, told him what happened he was not supprised. He said he had lived on that farm for about five years and the farmers look after each other and lend farm machinery to each other and the locals are the same to each other, where his farm was too 20 miles down the road they were totally different and didn't give a monkey as long as I'm ok jack attitude. If I've got time I do usually stop and help, usually give a push to a safe place. I once upset a fair few people while driving through Bristol by blocking the road to push a stranded lady to safety pedestrians just stood and watched.
