My sister Sheena is a sports instructor at a leisure centre in Saffron Walden. A few days ago some one rushed in and screamed for someone with first aid experience to come and help at a scene of an accident. It turned out this was no ordinary accident. A cyclist had been hit - and hit badly - by a lorry carrying a skip. The cyclist was to all intents and purposes gone. There was blood everywhere. She had no mask but without a thought for her own safety carried out mouth to mouth rescusitation and tried to get his heart restarted. After a while she felt a pulse and he started breathing again. In the meantime a rubber-necking crowd had gathered as people came out of their houses to see what was happening. She asked someone for a hankerchief to wipe the blood away. No one offered. So she carried on regardless. Unbelieveably parents brought their young children to watch this scene of utter carnage. A few minutes later the air ambulance arrived. Apparently the paramedics wanted the air ambulance to take the guy to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge as they were best suited to treat his injuries and it was only 14 miles away. The air ambulance refused on the basis that Addenbrooke's didn't have a helipad and they insisted on taking him to Harlow, more than 25 miles away. Sadly he didn't make it. But I'm very proud of my sister. She did what we'd all like to think we'd do in the circumstances, but if we're honest withourselves we're not sure we could. It's people like her who deserve to be in the Honours List.
