Jo suspected that there was more to the pageant “accidents” than met the eye . . .
BY ALISON CARTER
WATER!” Jo cried. “Lots of it!” The girl had come out of the hut like lightning, right into Jo’s path, flapping her arms like windmills and making a whining noise.
Jo saw the signs of burning on the girl’s skin before she smelled the sharp odour of burning plastic that emanated from the hut.
“There’s running water in the pavilion!” one of the pageant organisers yelled. “Follow me.”
Jo Bradley was trained in first aid. The dairy where she worked was large and modern and sent all its new employees on the basic course.
Luckily, the training programme included burns.
Jo quickly guided the frantic girl round the building while one of the events team positioned himself near the hut door, trying to identify the source of the fire.
Whatever it was it was minor – Jo could see no smoke coming out.
“We’ll sort you out,” Jo said, trying to soothe the girl.
It would be wise to get the girl into her car and take her to A&E in Bridport once they had the heat under control.
“The swimsuit round!” the girl wailed. “My arm!”
By now Jo had most of the arm under a tap over a basin.
She glanced at the clock. How long did you have to cool down a burn?
At least the patient was calming down a bit.
“Will it last long?” the girl asked, looking at Jo with her large, made-up eyes, and then down at the damage.
“I don’t know. Hold it still.”
“I mean, it’ll heal for the final?”
“Let’s focus on treatment for now,” Jo insisted.
Twenty minutes later she had the girl, whose name she’d learned was Claire, sitting beside her in the car with a clean piece of cotton pressed to the burn site.
“What happened in that hut?” Jo asked, and Claire began to cry.
“Don’t worry,” Jo said gently. “I’m only taking you to the hospital to make sure. It’s not serious.”
A nurse cleaned and dressed the burn and complimented Jo on her swift action, and Jo offered to take Claire home.
Claire was one of 12 young women who had the dubious honour of appearing in the 1982 Miss Dairy and Beef beauty pageant.
The grand finale would be happening in three days’ time on a specially constructed stage.
The stage and all the accompanying paraphernalia were under construction in a field on the edge of the village of Wellnigh.
Jo had
