With so much bad news globally, I would like to use your column to report a wonderful experience, and to extend my gratitude to the various services that together, efficiently saved me a great deal of trouble.

With the strong low sun in my eyes, it was 15:05 when I hit a kerbstone in the bus station car park; when I parked in the ‘disabled’ bay, I found the front offside tyre was split, and flat.

At 87, disabled and unable to walk, and a car with no spare tyre, I was in real trouble. At 15:10, I called the Honda help line, and they promptly transferred me to the AA. Car registration, name, and location quickly noted, and I received a text saying the service would be with me at 15:25. The AA engineer had on board a matching wheel for my car, complete with a fully inflated tyre; he quickly put that on, and at 15:40 left me waiting for my wife while he took the damaged unit to the ATS tyre depot. At 15:50, I drove to the tyre depot where the new tyre had already been put on my wheel. The AA engineer retrieved his own spare wheel, my own wheel was fitted, I paid the bill, and I drove out at 16:05.

From the moment the incident occurred, and I was feeling desperate and very concerned, to being safely back on the road, was exactly one hour.

My grateful thanks to all those who participated and together, saved an old man a lot of anxiety and stress.

Brian G. Beckwith

Jessopp Avenue

Bridport