I RECENTLY popped in to the Post Office in Cainscross Co-op and joined a queue of three or four people waiting to be served.

As we waited I became aware of a man in a wheelchair facing those worktops where you can address or package up parcels, etc.

He was twisted round and making incoherent noises and obviously in distress.

I assumed that one of the people in the queue or being served was responsible for him and waited for them to come and take care of him.

By the time I became the next one in the queue no-one had come forward.

He was dishevelled and badly dressed, his clothes were old, dirty and torn.

They were were too small for him, also they were not put on properly.

His hair was in a mess and his personal hygiene left something to be desired.

I went over and asked him if I could help him.

Although I couldn’t understand what he said his body language showed that he was relieved that at last someone was taking interest, but try as I could I could not understand him.

At this point Jane, one of the two Post Office counter staff, realised something was wrong and came out to see what was happening, while the other member of staff continued serving the lengthening queue.

It was immediately obvious that she knew his name and the man became calmer.

Over the next five minutes Jane calmly got him to tell us that he needed to take his tablets, which were in his pockets and that he wasn’t comfortable and wanted to stand up.

We searched his pockets, reassuring him as we did so and found an envelope with a small selection in it.

Gradually Jane worked out which ones he needed by asking him the colours and went to get some water.

When he had taken them we sat him back down and Jane got the number of a person she could call to come and help him.

At this point I realised I was already late for an appointment and left.

The first thing I want to say is a big well done to Jane for the kindness she showed to this poor man.

Also I was left wondering how, in the fifth richest country in the world, people can be left in this kind of situation.

Jane told me he was known to the staff and she understood that he had been in an accident some time ago and was left with severe head injuries.

Something which could happen to anyone.

Many of us live our lives one pay packet away from poverty and yet we still put up with cuts to those services which could help people like this man and us at any time.

How does the obsession with “fiscal responsibility” equate with the suffering of this man and those hundreds of thousands of people in the country who are in a similar situation?

We are witnessing the biggest gap between the richest ten per cent and the poorest ten per cent in over a hundred years.

Surely there are other ways of seeing that we make sure we have a kinder way of governing the country.

As Gandhi said: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need”.

Denise Robotham

Ebley