Train note from stranger aimed 'to put smile on mum's face'

Sammie Welch launched a social media campaign to track down the mystery note writer

A "mystery" train passenger, who gave a note to a young mother calling her a "credit to her generation", said he did it to put a smile on her face.

Sammie Welch, 23, was travelling with her three-year-old son from Birmingham to Plymouth last Thursday when she was given the message and a £5 note.

Ken Saunders, 50, from Wiltshire, was tracked down after a social media campaign to find him.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The note, in capital letters, read: "Have a drink on me. You are a credit to your generation, polite and teaching the little boy good manners.

"PS I have a daughter your age, someone did the same for her once. Hope when she has children she is as good a mother as you. Have a lovely evening."

The note to Ms Welch came with a £5 note

It was signed, "Man on train at table with glasses and hat".

Ms Welch, from Plymouth, thanked Mr Saunders when they were brought together on the ITV programme.

"I don't think you realise the impact you actually had and what you actually did for us," she said.

Mr Saunders said: "It had been a very long week and a long day and I was on the train, as you know, and it was just endearing."

"She came on; the little boy was a bubbly little boy. And he coughed and she said, 'Oh Rylan, put your hand in front of your mouth', and then he practised it quite a bit after that.

"Then he said, 'What?', and she said, 'No, pardon, Rylan'. It was quite funny, it was entertaining. It was all just very endearing."

Mr Saunders added: "Youngsters today are much maligned and I thought, here is a great role model, great mother and I just thought, this is lovely."