A FAMILY whose holiday with their ill son threatened to turn into a nightmare have heaped praise on a Dorchester mechanic who proved to be their knight in shining armour.

The George family from West Sussex were on their way to Cornwall for a rare break as nine-year-old Tom is currently undergoing treatment for leukaemia when their car broke down as they got to Dorchester.

They eventually made it to Downton Gifford Garage on the Casterbridge Industrial Estate and mum Sarah said it was through good fortune that there they met co-owner Nick Downton.

He not only agreed to look at the car, but also drove them to a car hire firm so they could rent a vehicle and carry on with their holiday, which was important to them as Tom had only just been judged by doctors to be well enough to go on holiday.

However, Mr Downton’s good deeds were far from done as, after finding out the cost of the repairs would be expensive and later discovering they would be more than the cost of the car, he contacted a charity he knew of in the Sussex area through his brother – the Children with Cancer Fund – to see if they could help.

They referred him on to another charity closer to Tom’s home called Remember Spencer, which offered to pay for a replacement car, so Mr Downton went and bought one for them.

Sarah said she, husband Philip, Tom and 12-year-old daughter Ellie were thrilled when they returned to Dorchester to find Mr Downton waiting for them with their new car.

She said: “We could not believe this kindness and, as you can imagine, were very touched by this lovely offer.”

Modest Mr Downton said much of the credit had to go to the two charities involved and Westfield Farm Car Sales in Winterbourne Steepleton, who provided the vehicle at cost price and got it ready.

He said: “They were the ones who made it all possible and I’m the one who took all the credit. I wouldn’t like it to happen to me and I was just glad to be able to help.”

Mr Downton also praised the two charities for the continuing work they do to improve the lives of children with cancer and leukaemia. He said: “They are fantastic people and the stuff they do is absolutely amazing. I was just proud to be a part of it really.”

Sarah added: “It just goes to show that there are wonderful people in this world who go out of their way to help others.”