Last Thursday morning I shopped at Waitrose and because I had heavy bags of shopping, I took a short bus ride to Swiss Cottagey. When I got off the bus, my handbag was gone. In my resulting panic, I thought perhaps I may have left it in Waitrose, so I ra

Last Thursday morning I shopped at Waitrose and because I had heavy bags of shopping, I took a short bus ride to Swiss Cottagey. When I got off the bus, my handbag was gone.

In my resulting panic, I thought perhaps I may have left it in Waitrose, so I ran back to the shop. The staff checked to see if anything had been handed in, but it was clear that my bag had not been taken in the shop. I had been divested of it in the crowded bus.

I thanked the staff and was about to leave to go to my bank in order to put a stop on my bank cards, but they were not prepared to let me go.

A very kind and helpful member of staff, Jacky Lucy, took control. She sat me down, asked me which bank I needed, ordered sandwiches and tea and made a list of the numbers I needed to ring and dialled them for me, as my glasses where in the stolen bag and I couldn't see the numbers on the phone.

Later while trying to ring my daughter to ask for her keys another member of staff, Ninya, loaned me her reading glasses, having established that I could see through them.

Unable to recall which bus I had used for the short journey, another member of staff, Carly Pammet, did the detective work and took me to the Finchley Road tube station and showed me how to find my transport record, so that I now had the exact bus and time details to give to the bus station staff and the police.

These wonderful people were so very kind and incredibly helpful in my distress and I would like to thank them for their kindness. Waitrose clearly demonstrated their engagement as members of a community and not just any old supermarket store.

Miraculously, my handbag was found late that very evening in Canary Wharf, with only the cash missing.

Elaine Chambers

(address supplied)