by Damien Sharkov
Dorset Police report there is no change in the condition of the 48-year-old mum of one who had to be airlifted to Southampton General Hospital, after her towcar overturned between Birdport and Dorchester around 1pm on Saturday (24 August).
The woman is reported to have sustained serious head injuries as police report her Land Rover Discovery “rolled several times after losing control” at a dangerous slope down the A35.
Also inside the SUV was her 52-year-old husband, who suffered minor injuries as well as her son, 11, who were both taken to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester. Luckily, the youngster sustained no injuries from the single vehicle crash.
The Dorset Echo reports that the crash came just days after a fatal smash on a nearby stretch of the A35 at Askerswell, which saw a three van collision, resulting in the death of one driver and serious injuries to the other two.
Dorset is a popular destination for many caravanners, what with the region’s many camping sites, and visitors are advised to be careful when driving, especially when towing.
“Any witnesses to the collision or the manner of driving prior to the collision are asked to call PC Gareth Blaken on 101”, a Dorset Police spokesperson added.

by Myron Jobson

Jane Murphy, 50, was devastated when she found Bertha, her precious lilac campervan, missing from her driveway at her home in Shepperton.

Desperate to get her beloved tourer back, Jane took to Facebook and started a campaign to appeal for information of its whereabouts. Luckily for her, this story has a happy ending.

The campaign was seen by council worker, Jamie White, who stumbled across pictures of the van on the social networking site, and then later spotted the vehicle on the street and used his car to block it in before calling the police.

Ms Murphy told getsurrey.co.uk: “What a hero. I can’t believe it. I am so happy – I just never thought I would get it back.”

The caravan was taken in the evening on 29 July and was found at midday the next day 10 miles away in the village of Datchet.

The conniving crooks changed the campervan’s number plates, but the inquisitive council worker was able to identify Bertha by her distinctive paint work.

The ‘van, which has been part of the family for 20 years, will be returned to its overjoyed owner after police conclude forensic examinations.

“There are so many memories attached to that van, its value is purely sentimental,” Jane said.

She added: “We are all so pleased that the good guys won for a change and we are going to make sure it happens more often.”

So what of the hero Jamie White, a community warden for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead?

Jane is planning on meet him face-to-face to extend her gratitude in person – as soon as she gets her precious Bertha back.

by Damien Sharkov
Mark Hearn should be watching his three young daughters enjoy their holidays with his wife, at the Hearns’ annual caravan getaway, before the unprecedented sunny spells of this outgoing English summer turn sombre.
On Tuesday (20 August) the family of five were buzzing to go, as their 10-year-old family caravan sat in their front garden, fully packed and filled with toys, clothes and camping equipment.
“We were meant to leave on Tuesday night but got delayed so loaded up the caravan and hitched it to the car ready to leave at 4am the following morning,” Mark solemnly recollects.
At 11pm Tuesday night, as their childminder fed the Hearns’ youngest daughter, Julia, their holiday plans, many of their possessions and their caravan, went up in flames.
Mark ran outside with the extinguisher, but the fire had already spread quickly.
“Everything was in there” shares Nicky, Mark’s wife. “Mark is one of the festival volunteers and we are a central point for other YMCA and youth groups who use our full-size gas cooker and tents we’ve collected over the past decade. It’s all been destroyed.”
As the fire threatened to swallow their front garden Mark bravely retrieved the full gas cylinder from inside the caravan and hurled himself inside to carry it as far away from the flames and the house as possible.
As he emerged from the blaze, wife Nicky strapped the cylinder to the back seat of her car and drove it away, down the street.
Two fire crews arrived shortly after, as did police, who received reports of laughter before the fire started.
As a result the incident has been recorded as an act of malice and an arson investigation is due to get underway.
The Fossway Station agree that if the Hearns had let the cylinder heat up “there could have been an explosion in the street”. Thanks to their vigilance no one was hurt.
Mark is unsure how to break the news to his children that their visit to Greenbelt, Europe’s largest Christian festival, will no longer take place.
“The children don’t fully understand what has happened and that everything has gone but they are devastated we might not be going.”
They will surely admire, however, their parents’ bravery, which foiled the awful prospect of even more reckless damage being done to the Hearn household.