A Dundee postman who saved a disorientated pensioner’s life while out on his daily round has been recognised at an awards ceremony in London.
Darren Lee spotted Muirhead woman Nancy Gibb (80) wandering outside in the rain and took it upon himself to make sure she got home safe.
The 40-year-old took Mrs Gibb back to her house, where he noticed a strong smell of gas coming from an unlit burner on the cooker.
The quick-thinking postie switched off the stove and waited with Mrs Gibb until a neighbour arrived and took her to hospital for a check-up.
He was put forward for the Royal Mail First Class People bravery award by another regular on his round impressed by his efforts.
Mr Lee who works out of the Dundee West office has been described by a grateful Mrs Gibb as a “great man” who saved her life and was in London on Monday to collect his accolade from TV presenter Christine Bleakley.
He said, “I am over the moon but feel embarrassed as well by achieving something from somebody’s misfortune.
“I am still on the same delivery and see Mrs Gibb mostly every day and she is doing very well.”
He added, “I keep in touch just to make sure she is keeping okay.”
Royal Mail Group Scottish affairs director Ian McKay said Mr Lee had gone above and beyond the call of duty.
He said, “Darren is highly deserving of this award I am delighted that he is being rewarded for the fantastic response he showed when confronted with such a difficult situation.
“Because our people make daily deliveries to all 2.5 million addresses in Scotland they will often be the first to discover an accident, fire, or someone taken ill, and are quick to respond.”
Miss Bleakley said, “In the UK, our postmen and women are a group of very remarkable people who contribute so much to our society.
“Their acts of kindness, fund-raising and commitment to volunteering make a real difference to the local communities where they live and work.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user comedy_nose.