A GOOD Samaritan has come to the aid of a devoted husband who was struggling to get to see his wife of 50 years.

Former postman Ken Aplin was finding it difficult to visit wife Clara as often as he liked after she was moved from a nursing home near his house in Dorchester to one at Charlton Down.

The distance was only been a few miles but for 80-year-old Ken it was a real struggle to see Clara regularly.

Travelling by bus required a change in Dorchester and the bus stop was some distance from the nursing home, which was not ideal for Ken who is on a range of medication and struggles to walk long distances.

Son Dave drove him when he could but Ken was still unable to visit Clara, who suffers from dementia, as often as he would like.

That prompted Dave and Ken to share their story with the Echo to attract more support for community transport schemes that could help people in Ken’s situation.

Ian McGonigle, who is from Glasgow but is staying with his son in Dorchester, read the story and was so touched he got in touch to offer his services as a driver for Ken, who was ‘delighted’ that he now had a way of getting to see his wife.

Son Dave added: “It was fantastic, this chap came and visited dad straight away and spent a little bit of time with him. Dad felt very comfortable and is really looking forward to being able to see mum more often.

“It’s been really good and it’s really great for dad.”

Modest Ian said: “I saw the story and just did what I thought I could do help.“I just thought I would go and offer to drive him.”

Dave said that, although they were hugely grateful to Ian and delighted with the outcome for their family on a personal level, the story in the Echo had also served to highlighted the wider issues of community transport as he had been made aware of plenty of other people since who were struggling in a similar situation.

He said: “What has come to light is how many people there are in the same situation.

“It’s not only older people in the community but also younger people who may not be able to get to college or work because of the problems.“The response I have had from people has shown there is a real need for help to get to places where public transport is not helping them.”