Last updated 21:15, Thursday, 30 October 2008

I WANTED to say an enormous “thank you” to all the people in Cockermouth and nearby who helped all the fell runners on Saturday night.

I was stranded with many others at the Honister Slate Mine: we were trying to get back to our cars in Seathwaite but Mountain Rescue asked us not to walk down as the road was deep under water.

So we were stuck. We were cold and wet; we had no money or phones, as we were expecting to spend the night camped at Gatesgarth and then to run back over the fells, but our campsite was several feet deep too.

A whole series of people were incredibly kind and helpful over the next 18 hours.

The manager of the mine gave us all tea, let us warm up in his cafe and organised transport.

The staff of the Sheep and Wool Centre hotel welcomed us into their bar, gave us more tea and very welcome towels and blankets; they put up very cheerfully with dozens of penniless, wet, smelly runners taking over their Saturday night’s business.

The police and paramedics offered all the help they could, explained what was happening (or admitted they had no idea - no-one did) and organised another bus to Cockermouth School.

The volunteers there were fantastic; they spent their Saturday night and Sunday morning providing food (delicious soup and an amazing cooked breakfast), making phone calls, finding dry clothes and towels, fighting off rude television crews (the BBC should be ashamed of themselves) and making us feel like pampered guests rather than nuisances.

Sainsbury’s donated a huge heap of sandwiches and cake - but we were almost too full by then to eat it all!

In the morning a local man appeared at the school with his minibus and said he’d seen the news and did we need a lift? He drove us back to Seathwaite, through the floods, then set off back to Cockermouth to pick up another bus load.

Every one of these dozens of people made huge efforts and spent hours helping people they’d never met, all with great humour and many jokes, and no expectation of any reward except thanks.

I don’t know any of your names, but I cannot thank you all enough. It was a truly impressive and humbling experience.

Cockermouth is lucky to have such people.

ADAM WHITTLE
Bristol