Mum of disabled boy caught up in Sheffield floods heaps praise on store staff

Jodie Morgan said her three-year-old son Louie had been in Meadowhall with his grandma and aunty all day, but when they set off to go home weren’t able to leave.

But the 33-year-old said they were able to take refuge in the shopping centre’s Marks and Spencer store, where staff made them comfy until it was safe to go home.

Jodie, from Barnsley, said they were ‘unfortunate’ to get caught up in the flooding, but that the M+S staff were ‘amazing’.

She said: “Normally he goes to Meadowhall on a Friday to give me a break but they went on Thursday this week as my mum and dad are going on holiday today.

“I was at home in bed ill and my mum and aunty didn’t check their phones so they didn’t know what was going on outside until I realised and told them they had to get home.

“But when they tried to leave it was just gridlock. Louie doesn’t really understand situations and becomes too distressed so they had to go back into Meadowhall.”

Jodie said that after going back into the shopping centre, they were quickly directed to the sofa and bedding departments of Marks and Spencer, where staff made them all drinks and looked after them until they were told they could at around 10.30pm.

“My mum and aunty said the staff were amazing,” she said.

“Obviously it was not nice for people but they made the best of it and made sure everyone was comfortable.

“As you can see from the pictures Louie made himself at home.”

Louie, his grandma Susan and his aunty Sharon eventually got back to Jodie’s shortly after 11pm, with Louie getting quickly off to bed where he slept for the next 12 hours.

Jodie – who also has an eight-year-old boy Jake – says Louie was born in 2016 at 28 weeks, weighing 2lb and having suffered a brain bleed, chronic lung disease, suspected sepsis, anaemia and stomach problems.

His family are raising money to give him a better quality of life through therapy, equipment, treatment and surgery.

To find out more or contribute, search for @teamlouiegeorge on Facebook.