A procession of agricultural vehicles visited the James Paget yesterday, Wednesday 29 December, to give a special Christmas greeting to one of our patients, with drivers handing over £400 to our hospital too.
A well-known local tyre fitter, known as Diddy, is currently in the James Paget after having a stroke.
Local semi-retired digger driver Trevor (Digger Trev) bought a get well card and a Christmas card for Diddy and then went to the local agricultural workshop of M A P Services in Beccles for a coffee with proprietors Mark & Andrew, where he thought ‘why not get the lads to sign the card too?’.
It snowballed from there and various others were visited and asked to sign the card, and before long it had turned into arranging a tractor run. Agricultural contractor Alan, his wife Lisa and son Isaac started the ball rolling just before Christmas and Digger Trev then spent much of the festive period visiting to get more signatures on the get well card.
Many local farmers were willing to show their support because Diddy had turned out at harvest time, leaving his dinner table or bed late at night to repair a puncture or to find a new tyre for a pea or cereal crop harvester and support vehicles, and turned out for those in need.
By yesterday more than 40 vehicles had joined the run to the hospital.
Digger Trev said; “The appreciation for one in a million Diddy's dedication, and all the NHS staff, culminated with farmers and contractors taking tractors, lorries and plant on a drive, meeting up at Beacon Park in Gorleston to drive around the hospital perimeter road, with consent from all relevant parties, past the ward that Diddy is being cared for and the Children’s Ward.
“We’d like to say thank you to all involved, to wish Diddy a speedy recovery and to say thank you to all NHS staff, particularly Jacky and Lee who facilitated the hospital drive around.”
At the hospital the drivers, represented by Trevor and Alan, presented gifts to Diddy’s wife for him and also handed over £400 for our hospital Stroke ward, Ward 1.
Thank you to everyone who came to the hospital and contributed – it was a spectacular sight for all who saw it (please see below for a brief video of the procession and a photograph of Trevor handing over the donation to our team) and we are grateful for your generous donation.
