The kindness of strangers: When Mum was hospitalised on a family holiday, our hotel’s owners were heaven-sent

I was just 10 at the time but my siblings and I will never forget the sense of safety, comfort and warmth they offered Read more in the kindness of strangers series We were doing the groceries when a blood vessel burst in my mother’s brain. I was 10 years old and on a family holiday to France that very suddenly changed its tenor. In the following weeks Mum went through brain surgery, suffered a stroke and was placed in intensive care. We had been staying in a gîte but moved to a small hotel...

By Melanie Brock, as told to Katie Cunningham