Pleasure Beach trip turns into M6 nightmare for Selkirk family

Rhea-Marie and Miah have fun in the sun ... but not the way they had planned.

Simone Cleghorn and her partner Stuart Foster were heading down for a day at Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach yesterday, with nine-year-old daughter Rhea-Marie and her pal Miah when the M6 was brought to a standstill due to a lorry crashing into a bridge between Broughton and Galgate.

And just to make a bad situation worse, the clutch on their car broke. They managed to get the car to the hard shoulder, but they were stuck there in searing heat at 11.30am, with the AA unable to reach them because of the accident. Fortunately, they had left their seven-month-old daughter at home with a sitter.

Simone said: “It was so hot waiting around, but the girls were doing well.

Miah and Rhea-Marie get stuck into the pizza thanks to local resident Jenna.

“Lorry drivers gave us water, crisps and sweets for the girls and police bikers kept coming past to make sure we were ok.

Seven scorching hours later, there was still no chance the AA could reach them, but the family was helped by several helpful locals, who ensured they had water.

However, they were getting hungry, until Jenna Barnes, a care co-ordinator from Lancaster asked if there was anything she could do for them.

Simone said: “Jenna was lovely. I expressed my concerns about the girls not having anything proper to eat and she offered to send someone to the chippy to get us food.”

Simone also told her that they had to get back home soon because their seven-month-old daughter was waiting for them.

Eventually, a plan was hatched to get the family off the motorway, up a large banking and over a fence to wait on a bridge, so they could meet up with a taxi, which would take them home.

Simone added: “We were picked up by a taxi at 9.30pm that brought us home, arriving back at 11.45pm.”

This morning, Jenna shared the story on our Facebook page to see if she could find out if the family made it home safe.

And, despite Jenna not knowing Simone’s name, the two were connected quickly.

Simone commented: “Messaged you Jenna. you did a fantastic job yesterday! x”

As for the extreme kindness shown by all the Lancastrians, Jenna told us: “I was happy to help.

“I’ve been in that situation myself with no help and it was awful with kids in the car.”

Simone tells us the AA has been in touch to tell her they will deliver her car today ... now all she has to do is try to get her money back for the pleasure beach tickets.