"I took the call then took them lunch"

"I'm a real people-person. It’s why I enjoy working as an AA Teleworker. That, and working from home. And even though I never meet any of the members I speak to, I still like talking to them and try to be as helpful as I can. However, on one particular occasion I did meet the caller.

"The member had broken down on her way to her son’s graduation from Newcastle University. In fact, they were not too far away from my home. I told her that it was a very busy day and that she may have to wait a while before a patrol reached them. She was fine with that and asked me if there was anywhere nearby where she and her husband and daughter, who were with her, could get something to eat. I said there was a pub nearby that served very good food, but it was up a really steep hill. She said that as her husband walked with the aid of sticks, then that was not a possibility.

"About 10 minutes after I had taken the call, I finished my shift. I felt so sorry about them sitting in their car with nothing to eat that I put together a packed lunch of sandwiches, fruit and a bottle of squash and took it to them.

"When I got there they were both amazed and very grateful to see me. I told them that it wasn’t normal AA practice, but as I was only a few minutes away it was the least I could do."

Julie Watkins, AA Teleworker