Woman, 96, compares Goretti spirit to the blitz

A 96-year-old woman who lives alone and had five days without electricity because of Storm Goretti, said the community spirit reminded her of living during the blitz.

Pat Shepherd said friends and neighbours rallied to help her and others in and around Mawnan Smith in Cornwall in a way that took her back to life in London during World War Two.

She said one neighbour called on her six times a day to check she was alright due to her recent hip replacement.

Shepherd said: "The last five days have been like living in the blitz in London. The community spirit and how people are helping each other as much as possible has been exactly as it was here in Lamanva as it was then, during the war."

During the extended power cut, one of her other neighbours brought round a cooked meal every night.

Another would bring a flask of hot water for her to make a warm drink, and even checked she had gone to bed safely.

She said it was very boring at night in the dark but she tried to read a book with the help of a torch and some candles.

She said: "My neighbours are very good, they've always been good to me because I don't want to go into a care home, if I can manage here.

"The worst thing was walking around, because I've tripped in the dark before.

"I was very very careful because my lifeline doesn't work in the power cut.

"I wasn't really scared these last five days because if you've lived through the experience of hundreds of bombers coming over and you didn't know where the bomb was dropping, this is nothing, you know you're not going to lose your life," she said.

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