A mum has revealed the hack which saw her reunited with her son, seven, after he got on the wrong Tube and was separated from the family. The clever mum had taken a photo taken moments before, meaning staff knew exactly what the schoolboy was wearing.
Kelly Asprey, 38, visited London with her family, including four children, when her son Quinn, seven, got swept along with the crowd at Victoria Underground station. He got on the tube alone and Kelly had to push the emergency button, with no idea where her son was, just a fellow passenger saying she'd seen him board the tube.
Thanks to the photo, staff found him two stops away at South Kensington tube station, in his Fareham Town football club shirt. He was quickly reunited him with his grateful mum.
Now Kelly is urging other parents to take photos of their kids at the start of days out, to help chances of them being reunited. NHS maternity support worker Kelly, from Eastleigh, Southampton, said: "I would absolutely suggest other parents take photos of their children when out on busy days in case someone goes missing.
"We were only in London for the day. It was the first time we'd taken them all to London using public transport.
"We booked it before the summer holidays started and were really looking forward to it. As we got off the train at Waterloo, I said I'd like to get a photo of them all before we start moving between stations and tube trains in case we lose someone, then we know what they are wearing.
"I have done this before when we go somewhere new or further from home and feel it's important. That day just so happened to be the day I needed this photo.
"We went up an escalator and Quinn was in front of me with everyone else following. As we got to the top, it split into two directions and I looked over my shoulder for a second to check everyone was there so that we could be together to head onto the next tube.
"As I looked back around, Quinn had disappeared. I called out his name, thinking he would call back but there was no response.
"I kept calling him, frantically and panicked. I was sweating, shaking and I felt sick.
"I shouted 'my little boy is lost and I don't know what to do.' Someone asked if he had a blue shirt on because she had seen a little boy get on a train.
"Someone told me to push the emergency button and a guard came to help. With their lost child protocol, we were reunited shortly, with Quinn being found and held by staff two stops away.
"We were separated for about 10 minutes but it felt like the longest time. When we collected him, Quinn was sobbing but safe and clung to me for the rest of the day.
"The guard asked what Quinn was wearing and I could only remember a blue top. But I could show them the photo that I had taken, of Quinn wearing his blue and red Fareham Town football club shirt we had purchased the day before.
"I luckily had that photo to offer the staff as a way to identify him, especially as I was too overcome to think straight. I would absolutely urge others to take photos like I did.
"When you are so panicked, your mind goes blank. But the photo helped refresh my memory and could be easily distributed amongst those who were helping to look."
