It is reassuring to see that, despite what seems to be a lot of evidence to the contrary, the age of chivalry is not quite dead.

We would all like to think that, put in the same situation, we would have reacted as pensioner Arthur Hudson did.

Mr Hudson has been rightly commended for going to the aid of a woman who had suffered a brutal assault and had been dumped in a most undignified manner in the gutter.

He called the police, helped cover the half-naked attack victim, and comforted her until help arrived.

The fact is, though, that in this day and age very few of us like to get involved in things that don’t concern us.

And, very often, with justifiable cause; there have been many so-called “have-a-go heroes” who have intervened in trouble and come off the worse for it.

But Mr Hudson is perhaps the product of an era when turning the other cheek to someone in distress was simply not an option.

It would perhaps have been understandable if he, upon hearing screams, decided it was merely high jinks or something that he should not get involved in.

The woman he helped is doubtlessly very glad that he didn’t ignore her. And we should all take some comfort from the fact that even in these often troubled times, the Arthur Hudsons of this world are always ready to lend a hand.