Volcanic ash chaos: Malvern nurse is delighted to be home from Dubai

Apr 22 2010 by Emily Bridgewater, Birmingham Mail

A MIDLAND mother stranded in Dubai for a week after nursing her injured daughter back to health has spoken of her relief at finally returning home.

Bridget Alban, 47, from Malvern, Worcestershire, was one of thousands returning to Birmingham airport yesterday after flight restrictions on UK airspace were finally lifted after six days of disruption.

Mrs Alban flew to Thailand on Easter Monday to care for her daughter and son-in-law who were badly injured in a motorbike smash.

But on her return home last week she found herself stuck in Dubai amidst the volcanic ash cloud chaos.

While there she missed youngest daughter Debbie’s 15th birthday and feared she wouldn’t see son Tim, aged 20, who was due to return to college. But as one of the first arrivals at Birmingham yesterday she was greeted with a kiss and bunch of flowers from Tim and husband Dave, 48.

The first flights hit the Tarmac early yesterday morning with regular arrivals landing by 1.30pm.

Mrs Alban said: “It’s am absolute relief to be home. I got to Dubai to be told the flight home had been cancelled.

“When we were told we finally had a plan back nobody thought it was going to happen, nobody believed it until we touched down and then everybody clapped.

“I missed my daughter’s birthday so we’re going to have a double celebration.”

Mr Alban said: “She flew out to look after our daughter who had a motorcycle accident. She broke her arm and hurt her leg, her husband needed a lot of stitches.”

Giving his mum a hug, Tim said he had missed her and was glad she was home.

After missing the beginning of the school term Lin Jude, headteacher at the prestigious Highclare School in Sutton Coldfield, also landed in Birmingham.

She became stranded on the Algarve, Portugal, missing the beginning of term this week.

But she vowed to return to work first thing this morning.

“It was frustrating. I’ve been in touch with the school and told them I’ll be back at work but it looks like everybody there has rallied together well,” she said.

“We were very well looked after by Thomas Cook who were really good but it’s great to be home.”

As the arrivals flooded back to Birmingham from around 1pm yesterday, many spoke of their time stranded abroad.

Honeymooners Kaye Francis White and husband Michael Thomas White were also stuck in Dubai on their way home from their honeymoon in Mauritius.

The couple, who married in Birmingham in March, were stranded after a flight mix up took them to Dubai last Thursday when the Icelandic volcano erupted.

Instead of a one day stay the pair were stranded there for nearly a week.

Mr White, 23, said: “It’s great to be home now. It would be nice to spend six days there if it was planned, but to be forced to stay there was crazy.

“We were supposed to be home on April 13 and we only ended up in Dubai because of a mistake, if that hadn’t happened we wouldn’t have had this.”

Also returning to Birmingham yesterday was Sally-Ann Hall, 49, from Ladywood.

Mrs Hall spent an anxious six days in Malaga trying to return to her mother who is suffering from cancer.

She said: “I care for my mother and went away for a few days for a break. I was due to come back on the Friday but everything got shut down.

“It was awful being kept from her. I was in touch with the family but it’s not the same as being here. I’m just so glad to be back now.”

Krystina Leivseley, from Edgbaston, also praised Thomas Cook but said her time stranded in Portugal had been anxiety filled.

She said: “I was terribly anxious the last few days because we didn’t know what was happening. People were helping each other out though – the brotherhood between people was incredible.”

Despite some struggling for money or accommodation, many returning passengers said they had been well cared for by holiday operators Thomas Cook.

Roy and Lisa Shone, aged 44 and 38 respectively, were stuck in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, but said the holiday firm took great care of them, providing meals and first class accommodation during their extended stay.

Mrs Shone said: “I can’t praise them enough.”