Credit where it's due.

On Monday evening, just before 4 o'clock to be precise, my stairlift went kaput, stopped, decided it had had enough and wouldn't go any further.

The thing was only installed last June, so it's still in warrantly, but that ain't my problem anyway.

I rang A1 Housing repairs dept who, it turned out, were having computer problems. Apparently, the machine was refusing to cooperate with the operators. I reported my problem and, after the third attempt, the lady said she had recorded my complaint and would contact Trent Valley Lifts, who have the contract to repair and maintain this sort of equipment for the Council.

I expected to be without my lift at least until sometime next day, but in any case, I had to haul myself very slowly upstairs, one step at a time to get to the toilet. There was no way that I was going to come down again, only to go back up very shortly, so I stayed upstairs, ready for my medicines etc. My young daughter carried my bits of stuff, book, glass of orange etc. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got upstairs.

At 6.30, the phone rang - it was "John the lift man - is it OK for me to come now to fix your lift?"

He came from his last job at the other side of Mansfield to get here, but he arrived just after seven. He listened to our explanation and suggested that it might be the circuit board that was gone. He opened it up (it was sitting at the top of the stairs, so he had an uncomfortable working position) and checked the internal fuse. It had blown.

He went out to the van to fetch a packet of new ones, inserted one, tried the thing - and that fuse blew too, this time tripping the safety trip at the distribution box downstairs (but not the safety cut-out in the feeder box on the wall by the lift!!!). This confirmed that it was indeed the circuit board that had gone.

He 'just happened to have another one" on the van, which he fetched. This, he told me, was for another job, which would now have to wait a bit longer!

He fitted the new circuit board, tested the lift and it worked again. He drove it down and up the stairs, used the remote controls, confirmed it all worked, and left.

From me reporting the fault to the lift being fully functional again - three and a half hours!

Very well done, very good indeed!