To following is a readers letter written by Nick Elliott.

On 24 May, my mother suffered a nasty fall outside the old ship in Richmond, between 11am and 12pm. What followed was a reminder of just how kind people can be.

On what was one of the hottest days of the year, several members of the public stopped to help. People stayed with her, offered reassurance, held umbrellas over her to shield her from the sun and made sure she was not alone while waiting for the ambulance.

Most importantly, when she fell into the road, some very brave individuals acted quickly to move her out of the path of an oncoming 490 bus. I can only imagine the shock for the bus driver, who also stopped and checked to see if he could help.

My mother has not stopped talking about the kindness, compassion and reassurance shown to her by complete strangers. In a frightening situation, you all made an enormous difference.

Sadly, she broke her hip in the fall and will need a hip replacement, but thanks to the actions of those who stepped in to help, the outcome could have been far worse.

To everyone who stopped, helped, comforted and cared for her: thank you. Your kindness will not be forgotten by her or by our family.