Stranger hands mum note and fiver for teaching her son good manners on train

[whole diary]

[basset44]

hi All,

Story in Today Metro has a few errors I think but sounds nice.

Does it fit someone of this forum?

Basset

You^re a credit to your generation': Stranger hands mum note and fiver for teaching her son good manners

http://metro.co.uk/2015/01/25/youre-a-credit-to-your-generation-stranger-hands-mum-note-and-fiver-for-teaching-her-son-good-manners-5035668/

[ChrisB]

Hmm, they never get it right, do they?

Sammie was on a First Great Western train from Birmingham to Plymouth

[patch38]

This is inspiring:

A young mother is hoping to find a stranger on a train who left her a handwritten note calling her a "credit to her generation".

Sammie Welch, 23, from Plymouth, was travelling with her son Rylan, three, when a man handed her a note as she got off at Bristol.

The passenger wrote "Have a drink on me" and left her a ^5 note after being impressed with her son's manners.

Ms Welch said: "I want to thank him personally."

The note, in capital letters, read: "Have a drink on me. You are a credit to your generation, polite and teaching the little boy good manners.

"PS I have a daughter your age, someone did the same for her once. Hope when she has children she is as good a mother as you.

"Have a lovely evening."

Ms Welch said she "wanted to cry" at the anonymous benefactor's generosity.

She said: "I never had the chance to thank him as he got off and I couldn't move due to my son being asleep on me and a man sat next to me."

She has appealed on Facebook for people to get in touch with the man.

She said: "He shows there are still good people out there and I want him to know I am truly grateful."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-30980418

Someone from the Coffee Shop perhaps...?

[a-driver]

What's great is that the media have all reported it as a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service when in fact it was a CrossCountry service from Birmingham!

[patch38]

That's a salutory lesson for me... I should have known it wouldn't be safe to believe the Torygraph 

Still a nice story though!

[Phil]

The sad thing is, modern society has made me at least feel really uncomfortable about making gestures like that. I've done similar things in the distant past - I remember I reduced one lady to tears simply because I brought her a cup of tea back from the buffet and said "Here, you look like you could do with this" - but today, I'm too afraid of being branded a creep or a stalker or a dirty old man and publicly humiliated on Twitter and Facebook within seconds of the act and with no chance to defend my actions.

I'm really glad that the gentleman did this and I'm even more pleased the young lady accepted the gesture as a genuine one, but it's not something I'm about to emulate, sadly.

[a-driver]

The sad thing is, modern society has made me at least feel really uncomfortable about making gestures like that. I've done similar things in the distant past - I remember I reduced one lady to tears simply because I brought her a cup of tea back from the buffet and said "Here, you look like you could do with this" - but today, I'm too afraid of being branded a creep or a stalker or a dirty old man and publicly humiliated on Twitter and Facebook within seconds of the act and with no chance to defend my actions.

I'm really glad that the gentleman did this and I'm even more pleased the young lady accepted the gesture as a genuine one, but it's not something I'm about to emulate, sadly.

I did wonder the exactly the same thing.  You never know how that kind of gesture will be taken these days.

[bobm]

Mod Note:  I have merged two topics on this subject just to keep the house tidy. 

[readytostart]

Doesn't take long for the spoof stories to materialise.
Caution if you're offended by fruity language!

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/stranger-gave-mum-10-to-piss-off-2015012794806

[grahame]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31020974?

A "mystery" train passenger, who gave a note to a young mother calling her a "credit to her generation", said he did it to put a smile on her face.

Sammie Welch, 23, was travelling with her three-year-old son from Birmingham to Plymouth last Thursday when she was given the message and a ^5 note.

Ken Saunders, 50, from Wiltshire, was tracked down after a social media campaign to find him.

[JayMac]

Nice people in Wiltshire. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Independent (who have yet to realise that it wasn't a First Great Western train, apparently):

Mystery man who gave mum heart-warming note on train 'wanted to put a smile on her face'


Ken Saunders, 50, praised Sammie Welch's parenting skills

The mystery train passenger who handed a young mother a heart-warming note praising her parenting skills along with a ^5 note has been revealed.

Ken Saunders, 50, said he just wanted to tell Sammie Welch ^what a great mum she is^ and put a smile on her face.

He certainly succeeded last Thursday, causing the 23-year-old to start a campaign to find the kind stranger on social media to thank him personally.

She was travelling on a First Great Western train from Birmingham to Plymouth with her three-year-old son, Rylan, when he handed her the note and money saying they fell out of her handbag as he got off at Bristol.

It said: ^Have a drink on me, you're a credit to your generation, polite and teaching the little boy good manners.  P.S. I have a daughter your age, someone did the same for her once. Hope when she has children she is as good a mother as you.^

It was signed simply ^man on train at table with glasses and hat^.

Ms Welch said she did not realise what it was at first but was touched by the message, not knowing that Mr Saunders was watching her reaction on the platform.

^I honestly couldn^t believe it because I genuinely thought it was something that had fallen out my bag so I held it and said thank you, then looked at it and looked at the guy next to me, as if to say: ^Are you reading what I^m reading?^ she said. ^I couldn^t believe it, it was very overwhelming.^

The pair were reunited today in a video call on ITV^s Good Morning Britain today.

Ms Welch thanked her fellow passenger, saying she did not think he realised the ^amazing^ impact he had.

^I just wanted to put a smile on your face. It^s overwhelming really, I didn't think it would have this effect,^ said Mr Saunders.

He only realised his act of kindness had become national news when he opened Monday^s newspapers at home in Brinkworth, Wiltshire, to see the story.

Mr Saunders said he was struck by Miss Welch^s politeness, playing with her son and telling him to cover his mouth while coughing and say ^pardon^ instead of ^what^.

^I just thought it was wonderful. Youngsters today are much maligned and I thought, here^s a great role model, a great mother and this is lovely,^ he added. ^As I got towards Bristol and took my train ticket out, there was a five pound note there and a scrap of paper. As a spur of the moment thing I just thought I^m going to tell her what a great mum she is and hopefully put a smile on her face.^

[grahame]

Not so much a "mystery man" any more ... and the power of the internet lets me join all the reporting bits ... and I've even pulled up his work / career details on my screen.  I wonder how he feels about the goings on. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Mod Note:  I have merged two topics on this subject just to keep the house tidy. 

... and I have further modified the topic heading, as we've established that it wasn't in fact a First Great Western train - despite press claims to the contrary.