ON Monday, November 21, I had the misfortune to slip on the ice and fall off my bike in Lendal, York, at about 11.20am.

I am really grateful to the group of people who stopped to help, who got the bike off me, got me on to the pavement and picked up everything out of my bags.

Once they realised that I wasn't seriously hurt but just cut and bruised, most of them left, but three people stayed with me to make sure I hadn't broken anything, and offered to take me wherever I wanted to go.

Fortunately there were no cars about and the incident was not serious.

But it made me feel really grateful to these passers-by, whose names I will probably never know.

They showed kindness and care and were willing to give up their time to help me.

Amidst all the bad news we get in our daily newspapers and on television, we sometimes forget the hundreds of deeds of kindness which happen daily.

A big thank you to those people.

V Wilson,

Grange Garth,

York.

Updated: 11:06 Thursday, December 08, 2005