RETIRED head teacher, Dorothy Cameron from Preston under Scar in Wensleydale, had expected a pleasant holiday in Sri Lanka with her son, Stuart. Instead she joined the British Consulate team assisting British patients injured in the tsunami disaster.

Her son, who is a British Council teacher, watched the tsunami sweep away much of Galle on Boxing Day as he stood on the ramparts of the old Portugese fort overlooking the port.

Later, as he and his friends began walking back to Columbo, he found that the British Consulate had already organised a fleet of cars to go and pick up British survivors.

When his mother arrived two days later, she had just a few hours' sleep before she joined him and others packing relief parcels at the British Consulate.

They were then asked by the Consul to tour hospitals taking details from British patients who had lost passports, credit cards and other documents. This helped the Consul provide new travel documents and started the process of making insurance claims.

She rang friends in Preston under Scar this week to report that, after a few days rest in Kandy, she was returning to Colombo to continue that work in the hospitals.

She told the Rev David Ashforth that it had been very moving in Kandy on New Year's Day when white flags were flown in mourning outside every home. Thousands went to the Buddhist temples there that day.

Mr Ashforth said: "Dorothy rang home to reassure her friends in the village that she was all right. It's just that her holiday will be a bit busier than she thought." See page 3