Ipswich Museums staff came to the rescue when they heard that a 10 year-old Suffolk lad had lost his prized collection of fossils in a house fire. Stan Garrod, Catherine Elmer, Sue Ling and retired geologist Bob Markham got their heads together to see what they could do to help after Sue’s daughter, a neighbour of the family, told them about Ben’s experience.
Ben’s mum, Louise, takes up the story: “During a storm our house was destroyed by fire, in which we lost almost all of our possessions, including our son's fossil collection. The staff at Ipswich Museum came to hear of this and Sue Ling invited us all to visit the Museum. We were touched by their kindness and the time they gave to us. Stan was wonderful and very knowledgeable, showing us around and explaining the history and origins of the exhibits. After our tour, Ben was given a fantastic assortment of fossils from both Bob Markham and Stan, who gave the fossils from their own collections.”