Homepage > Service Areas > Council and democracy > Council news > Bin men praised for help in garden fall

Tim Jenkins, 32, and Gary Wooding, 29 who work for Biffa, the council’s refuse and recycling contractor, were going about their rounds on Friday 20 July when they discovered Nesta Wellby unconscious in her back garden when they went to collect her bin.

 

The quick thinking refuse collectors dialled 999 and an ambulance rushed Mrs Wellby to hospital where it was found she had suffered a blackout and fallen on the patio breaking her right hip and badly bruising herself. It is thought she may have been there for some time before Tim and Gary discovered her.

 

Mrs Wellby is now home from Gloucestershire Royal Hospital following a hip replacement operation. As an added precaution in case anything like that happens again she has had Linkline installed so she can get help at the push of a button 24 hours a day.

 

Mrs Wellby said: “I was just so lucky they were doing the back door collections and am very grateful. I would like to thank Tim and Gary very much indeed.”

 

Mrs Wellby’s son Martin said: “If it hadn’t been for the bin men she could have been lying there for a very long time and we don’t like to think about what could have happened if that was the case.

 

“We are so thankful to the men involved – they were fantastic and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”

 

Gary, who lives in Ross-on-Wye said: “We went to do Mrs Wellby’s back door bin collection and found her on the ground. We got her a coat to keep her warm, called an ambulance and kept talking to her. It was lucky she had a back door collection.”

 

Tim, also from Ross-on-Wye said: “It was a shock to see her there and she could have been there for a lot longer if she didn’t have a back door collection. We’re just glad she’s on the mend.”

 

Cllr Martin Quaile, cabinet member for the Environment at Forest of Dean District Council said: “We are immensely proud of these two men for what they did to help Mrs Wellby. Our assisted collections for the elderly, infirm or disabled are very popular and in this case may have saved Mrs Wellby’s life. We send her our best wishes and hope she recovers well following her operation. We are glad the family can have the added peace of mind now that comes with the Linkline service.”   

 

More information on back door collections or Linkline can be obtained by calling the council on 01594 810000 or visiting www.fdean.gov.uk.