Facebook link saves the day for Bridgnorth father Brian, 81

Garry Marshall, 55, has been living in Seoul, South Korea, and wanted to speak to his father in Bridgnorth to wish him a happy 81st birthday – his first on his own after the death of his wife earlier this year.

However, Mr Marshall had left the phone off the hook and after taking to social media Garry was helped out by Bridgnorth resident Janine Harley, who went round to his home and passed the message on.

Garry, who attended Bridgnorth Grammar School, said: "My dad Brian was 81 last Friday, and it's been a bit of a bad year as my mother died on New Year's Day, so I wanted to get to him for sure. My mother would have been 82 the day after my father's birthday.

"They were always the same age for one day every year then he'd take the mickey out of her because she was older again. I kept calling his number for some hours and it kept saying he was on the phone so I knew he had left it off the hook.

"I thought even if there's a chance I could get in contact through Facebook I'd try, so I posted on the 'Bridgnorth chat, news, rants and idle speculation' group and within 10 minutes a woman had contacted me. I said to her you're my angel."

Within half an hour Janine had got the message to Brian who then called his son back. Garry said his dad might now even be persuaded to join Facebook.

He said: "It was so nice that somebody who doesn't know me or my dad would go around as a favour. It was lovely really. My dad loved the story, I can't get him on Facebook but I think it might be what gets him. I always see the positives of Facebook, it's so much easier to talk to people."

Janine, of Dunval Road, Bridgnorth, said she had been delighted to be able to help.

"Bridgnorth is like that, we do look out for each other," she added.