Rowers Henry Jackson and Alfie England awarded for rescue bravery
Two student rowers from the Royal Agricultural University Boat Club have been honoured for their outstanding bravery in rescuing a drowning man
Stephen Worley pictured with Henry Jackson, Alfie England and Professor Joanna Price, the Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Agricultural University
On 17 November, the Wiltshire, Avon, Gloucester and Somerset (WAGS) regional rowing association will honour Henry Jackson and Alfie England, students at the Royal Agricultural University Boat Club, for their bravery in rescuing a man from the Gloucester Canal last February. The awards will be presented by Stephen Worley, British Rowing Honorary Rowing Safety Advisor.
Last month, Jackson and England also received Bravery Awards from the Royal Humane Society at the Royal Agricultural University Prize Giving, after being nominated by British Rowing.
The Royal Humane Society awards medals, testimonials and certificates for acts of bravery in the saving of human life and for enabling successful resuscitations.
While training on the canal in February, the student rowers saw a man fall into the water and start to struggle. Knowing the water was very cold and posed a serious danger to the tiring man, Jackson inflated his life jacket and threw it over to him. He then dived into the water to get hold of him, managing to keep his head above water.
With the help of a nearby canal boat owner, the rowers somehow managed to get the man out of the water, realised he wasn’t breathing and successfully applied CPR. They rolled the man into the recovery position, covering him in blankets until the ambulance arrived. Thanks to all their efforts, the man went on to make a full recovery.
