Letter to the Editor: Season of goodwill alive and well in Shrewsbury

We visited Shrewsbury for a weekend away on Thursday, December 11, staying at the Oxon Hall Morris Campsite at Bicton Heath. Our intention was to spend the next three days shopping, exploring, and socialising, which we did by travelling into town each day and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

On Saturday, December 13, after another day exploring Shrewsbury, we crossed the Welsh Bridge to explore the Frankwell area. After wandering around, we headed up the hill to the Bull in the Barne for a final drink before returning to the campsite by taxi. The taxi picked us up at 7.15pm and dropped us off around five minutes later. About 10 minutes after returning to the campsite and removing our coats, I emptied my pockets and realised my iPhone was missing. That’s when the nightmare began.

I knew I had the phone when we got into the taxi, so I immediately went back to the drop-off point with a torch, but found nothing. Meanwhile, my wife Wendy repeatedly called my phone - it rang out with no answer, and she left several messages. Then using my iPad, I checked Find My iPhone, which showed the location at the junction of Monkmoor Road and Clive Road. Noticing there was a police station on Clive Road, Wendy called for advice and was told to ring back the following morning in case the phone had been handed in. She continued calling and sending text messages that would appear on the phone’s lock screen.

At 9.13pm, we received an incoming call from a lady who said she had picked up my phone from the back of a taxi. She explained that she was on her way to work so we immediately ordered another taxi and 15 minutes later I was reunited with my iPhone - an enormous sense of relief. After paying £28 for the return taxi journey, I only had £20 left to give the lady as a reward, which felt inadequate given what she had done.

To us, this truly felt like a little bit of Christmas magic. It would have been so easy for her to ignore the calls, hang up, or even attempt to reset the phone. Instead, after seeing the repeated calls and messages, she chose to do the right thing and contact us.

As many people can relate to in this day and age, so much of our lives are held on our phones—banking, photographs, contacts, and entertainment. Most importantly for us, I use my phone to stay in contact with my aunt, who sadly has vascular dementia. Despite her condition, she still recognises my name and number, which is incredibly important to both of us. Retrieving the phone meant far more than replacing a device.

The moral of this story is that there are still good and honest people in the world—people with a strong moral compass who deserve recognition. At a time when we celebrate Christmas and goodwill, this thoughtful and honest person truly embodied that spirit and I would like to say ‘thank you’ for being so honest and kind, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Kenny Beardmore