On the evening of Saturday, April 17, Whitstone residents Helen Retallick and her husband Tommy never would have predicted that night's events. Helen, who had reached the final stages of her pregnancy, went into labour early that evening at around 5.10pm which was unexpected.

She said: "No-one expected it to be as fast as it was, it was fairly early." Helen said her husband Tommy panicked and called the midwife, but she explained that it would be quicker to call an ambulance as it would probably be a quick labour like her daughter was. When a Bude ambulance crew arrived, they were convinced they would get to the hospital.

However, nearly at Exeter the ambulance driver received a banging on the ambulance window as they received the news that Helen wasn't going to make it to the hospital. Helen said: "I felt the cats eyes bumping on the wheels as the ambulance pulled over on the side of the road, it was all a bit scary."

Four hours later, Helen gave birth to a healthy little boy, nine pounds and half an ounce, in an ambulance on the side of the road at Cheriton Bishop, just 15 minutes away from Exeter. "There were tears all round," Helen remarked. Helen and Tommy now have a baby boy called Isaac John Retallick. Helen added: "It was a bit like a Carry On film, my daughter, Caitlin, is Cornish and Isaac is now a Devonian. He's absolutely perfect with ten fingers and toes. It would have been a different story if we went by car. I can't thank the ambulance crew enough who went above and beyond."