Policeman makes tea for couple after dialling 999 reporting loneliness

Police constable Stu Ockwell was responding to an emergency call made at the home of Fred and Doris Thomson in Manchester.

He feared the worst, thinking one of them may have taken a bad fall.

But when he met the 95-year-olds he realised all they wanted was someone to talk to because they were feeling lonely.

Fred had gone blind and Doris was finding it difficult looking after him. She had phoned the emergency services ‘in desperation’ as she was struggling to cope.

PC Stu Ockwell said:

We expected to find somebody probably that had had a fall out of bed or a fall out of their chair or who could have had a more serious medical condition.

So finding someone who just wanted to talk, that hadn’t phoned the police to waste our time – they’d phoned the police maybe out of desperation or wanting someone to speak to.

We’d do it all day long.

The lady’s husband has gone blind and she struggles to look after him.

It was out of desperation, really. She isn’t very well herself.

I went down to see them and had a cup of tea with them. They were telling me war stories.

Afterwards, Fred Thomson said he was grateful for the police man’s actions.

‘It was a nice change to have somebody to talk to,’ he told ITV News. ‘I was very pleased to know there was help about and pleased to talk to them because sometimes you can be a bit isolated as you get older but they made me feel at home.’