A BIG Thank You From Betty

Nursing assistant Betty Wright, who celebrated her 80th birthday on 6 January 2017, said she wanted to say a big thank you to kind-hearted local staff who raised nearly £800 to help her, following the theft of her handbag.

Betty was loading shopping into her car at a Falkirk supermarket with her bag on the trolley handle. When she turned to take the trolley to the bay, the bag containing £3,500 in cash, together with children’s bank books, had been snatched.

Betty, who had been shopping for her disabled son and had lifted money from the bank for a number of family events and a holiday in Blackpool, was distraught. The bag was later found empty outside a local bakery. Her purse was discovered around a mile away, also empty except for her bus pass, and was handed in as the man who found it recognised her name as she had previously nursed his grandfather.

“I would like to thank all the local staff who collected money for me from the bottom of my heart” said Betty. “My job keeps me going but I thought I was seen as just a wee old wife who went in and did her work and then went home. I didn’t realise so many staff in Forth Valley thought so much about me and I was really amazed at the response.”

The money, which was raised through a Facebook appeal and cash collections, was presented to Betty by colleagues in Ward A31 at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.