When fire raged through Jayne Wallis's house last Wednesday, she lost everything. The mother-of-five only had time to grab her two youngest children and flee, leaving the rest of her worldly possessions to be consumed by the flames.

"My kids have nothing - no clothes, shoes or toys," the 41-year-old told the Worcester News last week.

Miss Wallis, of Warndon, Worcester did not even have the basic household goods most of us take for granted, such as toiletries, bedding or towels.

What a difference a week makes. Now Miss Wallis is shedding tears of joy instead of despair after strangers who read about her plight in the Worcester News and saw the pictures of her charred living room showered her with clothes, furniture, food, toys and toiletries. And they say community spirit is dead.

It's easy to think that we've become a nation of selfish individualists only concerned with furthering our own interests, but the people who helped Miss Wallis prove that is not the case.

When we see someone in distress, most of us are only too happy to help.

Miss Wallis doesn't even know the names of most of the people who donated goods.

So she has hung a sheet over her smoke-blackened house to thank, in the only way she can think of, the anonymous donors who helped her to start rebuilding her life.

On behalf of Miss Wallis, we would like to express the same sentiments to the generous, selfless residents of this city.

Thank you, and God bless you.