A butcher has been hailed a hero after rescuing a pensioner who had fallen down the stairs at her home in north Norfolk and broken her neck.
The alarm was raised when the daughter of Paul Graves, of H.V. Graves Butchers, Briston, noticed that one of their regular customers had not made her weekly order.
Sonia Graves, who takes orders on a Thursday for home delivery, realised last Friday morning that one was missing. When she checked, she discovered no order had been placed. Concerned, she told her father.
Mr Graves, 57, who also does a paper round in the mornings on his quad bike, offered to check on her. When he arrived at her house, he could see her on the floor at bottom of her stairs, badly injured.
“I could hear a quiet voice calling out for help,” he said. “When I found her she was in a lot of pain. She asked me for a glass of water so I got her something to drink. I’m not sure how long she had been there for but it could have been all night.”
Mr Graves rang his friend, a first responder, before calling 999. He also called nearby friends of the woman, who is in her 80s, to help look after her animals.
He added: “The community spirit was really good to tell you the truth and I think the village does have a good community here.
“I do 40 to 45 deliveries each morning and you pick up on things when they are different.
“This is the first time anything like this has happened to me but you’ve got to help when something like it does happen.”
The woman, who did not want to be indentified, has lived in the Briston area for more than 50 years. Mr Graves said he believed she was recovering well in hospital, but slowly.
“She is a lovely lady. I’m pleased to have been able to help her – I’m definitely no hero.
“If you could help someone, you would help. Everyone belongs to someone and it costs nothing to be nice and helpful. If you can’t help someone, that’s a poor show I say.”
Friend of the woman, Heather Bowes, 65, of Briston, said he was a “hero”.
“Paul did a very good job. He didn’t need to have bothered, but he did.
“He does so much in the village. He is just that sort of person.”
She added that Mr Graves had also looked after some of her animals, including feeding a poorly chicken some bread.
H.V. Graves Butchers was established 71 years ago and Mr Graves has been working in the shop since he was 10 years old. He now runs the business with his brother Karl.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here