A mother and daughter who travelled 4,000 miles from the USA to see Ed Sheeran in Sunderland have praised a kind-hearted PC who helped save their trip.
Denise Buie and daughter Alyssa Midence flew over from Florida last week and were enjoying a 10-day trip to celebrate the 22-year-old’s graduation. And the pair managed to bag tickets to see the 'Shape of You' singer at the Stadium of Light last Friday (June 3).
However, their excitement soon turned to despair as their hire car broke down near the Northern Spire Bridge causing traffic to queue behind them. Luckily, Motor Patrols officer PC Andy Jackson was on hand to help move the vehicle off the road while they waited for a recovery truck.
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Two hours later, PC Jackson was driving back along the A1231 and saw Denise and Alyssa still waiting in their conked-out car at the side of the road – with no sign of recovery. So he pulled over and spoke to the distraught pair who were already resigned to missing the concert, with Ed Sheeran due on stage any moment.
Formulating a quick plan, PC Jackson contacted the recovery firm and told them the key for the car would be in the front office of Southwick Police Station to collect – before escorting a teary Denise and Alyssa to the stadium himself.
Mum Denise, 52, said: "I just couldn’t believe the kindness shown to us. All the Northumbria Police officers were outstanding and should be praised for their efforts. I kept calling PC Jackson our ‘superman’. He didn’t have to stop and understandably would have had other things to do, so we were just blown away by his willingness to go above and beyond.
"We are truly grateful that he went the extra mile – and that he helped save Alyssa’s graduation celebration. There’s no way we can ever thank PC Jackson enough. It was a really distressing time, having travelled all that way on our first visit to England. So to be met with such generosity and compassion is something that we’ll never forget."
Denise and Alyssa arrived back in their native Florida on Wednesday (June 8) – after spending the rest of their holiday exploring Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the Isle of Skye.
PC Jackson added: "I was just pleased to help. When I was driving back past them a couple of hours later I realised it was going to be tight in terms of them being able to get to the concert full stop.
"After seeing how upset they both were, and given they travelled halfway across the world for it, I was more than happy to quickly hatch a plan and make sure they got to see Ed, before continuing with my shift. I’m pleased that they had a good time and hope they got home safe, with a lasting fondness for the North East."
If you feel inspired by PC Jackson and fancy joining the other 6,000 people already part of #TeamNP, why not consider applying to our uniformed officer recruitment programme? For more information, visit https://careers.northumbria.police.uk/
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