Night full of Lyme pride

SATURDAY night at the Woodmead Halls was a bit special.

It definitely warrants the “Event of the week” slot (see below) but it must have been quite an ordeal for Sandy Quan-Yat-Koon, the Seychellian whose family have settled in Lyme Regis.

Sandy suffered a horrific ordeal when he was crushed by the Royal Mail van that ran into the Mariners Hotel in Silver Street in October.

It was an incident that shocked the whole town and there was a great outpouring of sympathy for Lise, Sandy’s wife, their son, Alex and other family members.

Having had one leg amputated, Sandy fought for his life as surgeons battled to save his other leg. He endured hours of painful operations and with his family keeping a bedside vigil, his bravery was admired by all who were witness to his distress.

In the end, Sandy lost his other leg as well - and now he faces a new challenge to walk again.

I did not comment in this column on the incident while Sandy was undergoing surgery and rehabilitation. It just didn’t seem the right thing to do, although his family kept me informed of his progress.

So it was great to see Sandy and his family enjoying the disco organised by the “Pride of Lyme” mums at the Woodmead Halls on saturday evening.

I later spoke to Sandy about the progress of his rehabilitation and how he felt about Saturday’s event.

He said he was a little apprehensive about going but he and all the family thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

And he also revealed that he had actually taken a few steps in the long haul back to mobility, having been fitted for prosethetic limbs. His left leg has still not fully healed so his walking progress has been interrupted for a while but he hopes to continue the process in the not too distant future.

Alex is training to be an accountant and was due to take his final examinations in December. Obviously, that was not possible but he’s hard at work again and is hoping to qualify this year or next.

The family had to move out of their Silver Street flat and have been living in temporary accommodation at Wootton Fitzpaine. This week they viewed a new house in Axminster.

Sandy refers to Lyme being a town full of “goodhearted, understanding and generous people” and how proud they have been to have been accepted into our community.

We are the ones who should be proud - of Sandy, his bravery and the determination he has shown in such harrowing circumstances.

A near miss at the shelters site

THE drama on the Marine Parade on Monday which dominates this week’s View from Lyme Regis could have been so much worse.

Since the town council have made the beach huts available all the year round, I have been surprised how many people use them during the winter months. Most days there’s someone in one of the huts, warmly clothed and clasping a cup of steaming tea as they look out to sea. And why not?

The fork lift telehandler which toppled over the Marine Parade onto the Cart Road smashed three private huts. It was quite a fine day so it was a miracle that no one was in them at the time, or that there was no one strolling along the lower prom in close proximity when it happened. As I say, it could have been very much worse.

An eye witness described the incident as “quite shocking” but praised the workmen who sprang into action to ensure no one was injured.

A near miss, no doubt about that.

Result next week

JUST over 400 people have recorded their vote for Lyme’s Citizen of the Year 2010 following the nomination I made in my Lyme Year Book 2010.

I am pleased to say that votes were cast for each of the 12 nominations, even Mary Anning whom I included because I thought it was time she got some recognition, despite the fact she has been dead for 163 years!

In the end it was a close-run thing with just a few votes separating the top two.

It’s my intention to reveal the winner in next week’s issue.

EVENT OF THE WEEK...

HATS off all round for the group of young mothers who set themselves up as ‘Pride of Lyme” and organised the disco at the Woodmead Halls on Saturday evening, raising a fantastic £2,800 for Lyme crash victim Alex Quan-Yat-Koon and his family.

“Pride” was a much used word at the Woodmead Halls on Saturday. Several people referred to how “proud” they were to be a part of the evening.

I know better than most how difficult it is to fundraise in these difficult times and the mums who put on this event are to be congratulated for a brilliant night which brought in so much money.

I understand there’s a bit more to come in and the likely total is expected to top £3,000. Brilliant - and another example of how generous the people of Lyme are when it comes to supporting worthy causes.

Of course, there could not have been a better cause. Every penny raised will go to Lyme crash victim Alex Quan-Yat-Koon and his family. Alex’s circumstances after being in the wrong place at the wrong time when a Royal Mail van ran into the Mariners Hotel has touched the whole town.

Saturday’s event was a real “locals” affair and when I walked in to take a few pictures for the View it seemed like I knew everyone in the hall. That does not happen very often in Lyme these days.

Everyone was delighted, of course, to see Alex, better known as Sandy, and his family at the disco. It really made the evening and Alex really appreciated the support which was so evident on the night.

The “Pride of Lyme” girls are hoping to organise a similar event every year which is great news.

www.viewfromonline.co.uk