Mr Uckfield injured

GEORGE Saunders, fondly described by many as Mr Uckfield, has been injured in an accident with an electric saw.

Mr Saunders, MC for 44 consecutive years for the town's carnival procession, was cutting softwood at the time for 2000 torches for this year's parade. He was distracted and cut off the top of one finger and damaged three others.

He was rushed to Uckfield Community Hospital where his hand was put into ice before he was ferried by ambulance to the Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath and from there to the Queen Victoria Hospital at East Grinstead.

He was able to watch three-and-a-half hours of surgery to repair his damaged right hand which involved skin grafts, pinning on the top of his index finger, pinning his little finger, working on his middle finger and on his ring finger which appeared least damaged.

Today (Friday) he returns to the Queen Victoria for the wounds to be dressed and he will know whether the grafting back on of his finger has been successful.

Mr Saunders, of Selby Road, who will be 71 next month, hasn't missed an MC job throughout his ordeal. He has fulfilled commitments in Hassocks, Sedlescombe, Crowborough and Burwash. He will also be MC at the Nautical Training Corps fun day at the Luxford Field on Sunday.

'This has not affected my general health and I am pleased to say I will be fit and ready to compere at all the bonfire events,' said Mr Saunders.

Cheerful

He was full of praise for all three hospitals which rallied to his aid. Doctors and nurses had been fantastic, he said, at a time when there was a lot of criticism of the National Health Service. 'I received the best of care and not only medical care. All the time I was being treated they were working to keep me cheerful and I think that has helped in my recovery."

Mr Saunders was working in his garden with the saw when the accident happened two weeks ago. Fortunately, his wife Tina and the chairman of the bonfire society, Sandy Rogers, were with him. Sandy had the presence of mind to take him straight to the community hospital then returned to pick up his wife.

Society secretary Carol Watts helped, too, and Mr Saunders said he was very grateful to both.

Besides being well known for his bonfire society work Mr Saunders is chairman of the Ridgewood Village Hall management committee and has just started his 22nd year as chairman of the Nautical Training Corps, TS Spartan, management committee. He is also a member of the Uckfield Model Railway Club and assists in the running of the railway at the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum.

Before retirement Mr Saunders ran a window cleaning business.

When his bandages come off he is looking forward to taking up his carpentry and model railway hobbies once more ... and he's not been put off using that saw again. He blames himself for being distracted from what he was doing.