AWARDING ACHIEVEMENT NORTHAMPTONSHIRE TAXI DRIVER
REWARDED FOR SERVICES TO COMMUNITY
A Northamptonshire taxi driver has been given an award from his local MP for his services in the community. NorthantsLive reports that Freddie Fudge from Brixworth has been given a Parliamentary Taxi and Private Hire Award. The award, which was given to him by MP for Daventry, Chris Heaton- Harris, celebrates his work as a taxi driver and his kindness throughout the coronavirus pandemic. After being nominated by a member of the public, Freddie received an email saying he had been considered and then, a few weeks later that he had won the award. “I was overwhelmed,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was doing any- thing different from normal.” But the people of Daventry thought otherwise. “He’s a lovely guy with full respect for residents of Brixworth,”
friend of Freddie, Stephen Moone- samy said. “His banter and per- sonality have kept the village togeth- er during the pan- demic. He is one of a kind and really
deserves recognition.” Freddie set up his own company, Flat Cap Cabs, last year. During lockdown, he was short of work but he didn’t waste his time. He started running a free-of-charge support service for the over 70s and those who had to shield and isolate. He would go shopping for people, get their prescriptions and take them to doctors and hospital appoint- ments all for free. It is this selfless giving, as well as his
positive attitude, that makes Freddie so special to the local community in Brix- worth. “I had all this downtime and I like to keep busy, so if I can do something to help someone else, then I will. It’s very easy when you read the news at the moment to just feel really negative,” he said. “But staying negative is just going to put everyone in a bad mood. “I enjoy cracking jokes and winding people up and making people laugh and it seemed to make a difference.” Chris Heaton-Harris MP, who gave the award to Freddie, said: “Congratula- tions to Freddie on his Parliamentary Taxi Award, it is thoroughly deserved. “I want to thank Freddie for all he has done and I hope this award is some recognition of all the kindness he has shown.”
HULL TAXI DRIVER RECOGNISED WITH A PARLIAMENTARY TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE AWARD
A young woman who was saved by a taxi driver as she tried to take her own life has spoken out about her mental health battles in the hope of helping others who may be struggling. At around 2am on January 9 this year, east Hull taxi driver Ali Asik dropped off Chloe James, a regular customer of his, at the Country Park Inn, underneath the Humber Bridge in Cliff Road, Hessle. She had told Ali, 46, that she was staying with a friend. Ali realised something was wrong when he saw her walking towards an alley- way by the side of the building, rather than the entrance, as he began revers- ing away. He decided to make sure she was alright and followed her, catching up to her as she rounded a wooden fence and walked on to a concrete platform at the water's edge.
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“I had left the car in the middle of the road and I just ran and grabbed her,” Ali told the Hull Daily Mail. “She was pushing me away and telling me to leave her alone, that she
didn't want to be here anymore. Then she fell to her knees, crying and crying.” Now, almost ten months to the day after the incident, Chloe, 26, has spo- ken out about the low place she had reached in the back of that taxi that wintry January morning. Ali had clung to her in the freezing wind and rain for 15 minutes before the police arrived and led her to safety. He had left his own phone in his car when he went to check on her, so had to use
hers as he desperately tried to contact her family and the emergency services. He was later contacted by both the police and Chloe's family to thank him for his actions, but he insisted that he was “no hero”. Chloe went on to receive professional help for her mental health and, in the weeks after the incident, went to thank Ali in person for saving her. She has returned to work and stopped drinking. She said: “I'm a lot happier in myself, I don’t stress about things now.” In November, Ali, who works for 41 Cars Hull, was recognised with a Parliamen- tary Taxi and Private Hire aAward by east Hull MP Karl Turner for going above and beyond the call of duty. But he still insists Chloe is the true hero of his story. “She is a prime example for others who may be suffering in the same way,” he said.
DECEMBER 2020
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