Children’s nurse receives Royal invitation after selfless act of kindness

A nurse from Evelina London Children’s Hospital has been honoured with a Royal invitation after spending hours, while off duty, helping a lady who fell at Waterloo station.

Anita Greaves, who has worked in Evelina London’s paediatric intensive care unit for 22 years, was recently invited to attend this year’s Royal Variety Performance with her daughter Willow, in recognition of her kindness.

Anita said: “It was an amazing evening for us both, and it felt quite emotional to be nominated.

“But I think anyone else would have done the same thing that night in my position.”

Anita, 45, had been on her way home on the evening of 24 September after a long shift at work when she came across an upsetting scene: 84-year-old Hazel Showell had fallen at the ticket barriers between Waterloo and Waterloo East railway stations. 

Hazel was lying on the ground, bleeding heavily from her head, while her husband Brian was trapped on the other side of the barriers trying frantically to get back to her and calling for help.

“As I approached the ticket barriers, I heard shouting and then saw Hazel on the floor, and I knew immediately that I needed to help,” Anita recalled. 

“I held Hazel’s head and applied pressure to the wound while we waited for the ambulance. It was really cold on the floor so we were also trying to keep her warm. 

“I was talking with Hazel and Brian the whole time, to comfort them, but also to keep a check on Hazel’s consciousness levels.”

Hazel and Brian, who live in Bromley, had been returning home after watching a play at the nearby Old Vic theatre when the accident happened. Despite momentarily feeling dazed after the fall, Hazel said she had clear memories of Anita arriving and immediately taking control of the scene.

“I was lying on the floor and felt my head with my hand, which I then realised was covered in blood,” Hazel said. 

“I knew at that point it wasn’t a good situation. Within seconds just as I began to try to stand, Brian and I heard a voice saying, ‘don’t get up, stay where you are, don’t move’, and that was Anita arriving. She stayed with us for a long time until the ambulance crew arrived, and she was so reassuring. She asked me a few questions, such as my age, and whether I was on blood thinners. I realised she was monitoring me, but in such a gentle and empathetic way that I was able to relax completely.

“She also explained to us what to expect when we got to A&E, which made the whole experience a little easier.”

Once the ambulance crew arrived and took Hazel and Brian to St Thomas’ Hospital’s emergency department, Anita realised she was going to miss her last train home, as she was covered in blood and needed to return to work to shower and change. So, she decided to sleep at work rather than trying to get home, as her next shift started at 7am the following morning.

Despite the sacrifices Anita made in helping Hazel and Brian that night, the mother-of-two says she doesn’t regret a thing.

“I’m pleased I was there and could help them – there’s no better feeling than being able to help someone when they most need it,” she said. 

“It was a humbling experience and I feel like I was the lucky one that evening, as I got to meet the most lovely couple. We learnt so much about each other.”

Brian, also 84, who has been married to Hazel for 63 years, said the feeling was mutual, describing Anita as “a quite amazing woman”. 

“It was very reassuring to have someone there who knew what they were doing, and Anita was such a calming influence,” he said. 

“But alongside the medical checks she was doing, we also had a wonderful conversation with her and we feel like we found a new friend that night.”

Hazel was thoroughly checked over at St Thomas’ Hospital and discharged a few hours later, and since then she and Brian have kept in touch with Anita. 

A few weeks after the incident, Hazel also decided to write an email to Evelina London and St Thomas’ hospitals, paying tribute to Anita’s kindness as well as thanking the other staff who helped her later that evening at St Thomas’ A&E.

She said: “Anita is someone who’s a shining light, like the original ‘lady of the lamp’ – she is absolutely an angel.”

Hazel’s experience is not the first time Anita has come to someone’s aid while off duty around London. In 2016 she also showed great bravery when she rushed forward to help a man who had been stabbed onboard a train at Forest Hill station in south east London, while the attacker was still at large.

Anita was with her baby son at the time and placed him in the safe care of a member of the public before entering the train to help the wounded man – who later made a full recovery.

“That was the most petrifying experience as I was there with my baby, and at one point I saw the attacker walking towards us,” she said.

“I thought we were going to die. But I’m a nurse, and I was just on auto-pilot, and I thought I would most likely be the only one there who could help.” 

While Anita now admits that she is getting a reputation among her colleagues for “attracting disasters” while off-duty, Hazel and Brian believe there is no better person to arrive in anyone’s hour of need.

Hazel said: “I have her number listed in my phone now as ‘Anita – Angel’. You really couldn’t ask for more in a human being.”

As Patron of Evelina London, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, provided the opportunity for Evelina London staff to attend the prestigious event. Anita was one of two members of staff who were nominated by their colleagues to attend. The Royal Variety Performance 2025 was broadcast on ITV1 on Sunday 21 December.