EVERY Saturday, Quirinis Nederpel finishes work early to attend mass at March Roman Catholic Church – and last weekend it saved his life. The shoe repairer known as Q usually works a long day and leaves his High Street shop after 9pm, except when he goe

EVERY Saturday, Quirinis Nederpel finishes work early to attend mass at March Roman Catholic Church - and last weekend it saved his life.

The shoe repairer known as "Q" usually works a long day and leaves his High Street shop after 9pm, except when he goes to church.

And, last Saturday, just before 9pm, a car smashed into the front of Shoecraft where he would have been working.

His wife Veronica said: "The Lord must have been looking down on him because he goes to church on Saturdays and has to finish early.

"We have to be thankful that he wasn't in the shop because it could have been a tragedy."

The couple were watching TV at their Scargells Lane home, after returning from church, when they received a phone call telling them a car had crashed into the shop.

A BMW had smashed into the counter and bounced back into the road.

The future of the building, which dates from the 1850s, is uncertain and until the structure has been made safe, Q has been unable to get in to rescue shoes for his customers.

Q said: "I am 65 this year and too old to start again. It is all I have ever done - I am absolutely devastated. My whole life has changed in a split-second."

In more than 40 years he has had just one day off ill and has never taken a holiday. He moved to his present premises in 1978.

A police spokesman said the driver of the car, a 25-year-old Benwick woman and her passenger, a 26-year-old man also from Benwick, both had minor injuries and were taken to Peterborough District hospital for treatment.