Newtownabbey taxi firm going the extra mile to pick up Jim in Spain

Phil Hamilton, driver-manager of 365 Taxis, is travelling to the Spanish holiday destination with his family to collect Jim Moore.

Mr Moore, who was holidaying in Benidorm, was at the centre of a missing man alert for a number of days before being located in a Spanish hospital on November 18. It is believed he sustained a head injury after a fall at the end of last week.

Commenting ahead of the marathon journey, Phil explained he was responding after learning that “Jim has been advised not to fly for three months”.

Phil said:“Firstly, I am so glad Jim had been found after being missing and is now out of danger.

“Jim is a regular customer of 365 Taxis and when we heard he was unable to travel by air, we decided we would send a taxi out to Spain to bring him back to Newtownabbey to reunite him with his family and friends.

“I can’t wait until the next fare I get asks me ‘what’s the longest taxi journey you have done’ to see their face when you say a waiting return from Newtownabbey to Benidorm and back.”

Providing an update on their journey, he added: “It was a long drive down to Folkestone, but the messages of support for Jim, 365 Taxis and my family and I have been much appreciated.

“We had a few stop-offs on the way down and we had a sleep at Folkestone while we waited to board the Euro Tunnel.

“We plan to drive through France and to stop overnight at a hotel in Bourges. We are looking forward to a warm shower and a comfy bed.”