A man has thanked five scouts for “saving my life” after he collapsed in the woods.
John Allinson, 53, grandfather of four, from Loftus, said he owes his life to scouts Tyler Duncan, Dylan Powell, William Bagshaw, and Greg and Niall Richards, and their scout leader, Helen Tyreman, who found him on a road in the Rosecroft Wood area.
On the hot evening of Monday 24 June, John went on a walk after receiving some bad news. While being on the phone with his wife, Joanne, he had a seizure and fell to the ground unconscious, but thankfully he was soon found by the First Loftus Scouts.
The five young people, who are aged between 11 and 14 years, together with their leader, immediately gave John medical assistance, while speaking with his wife on the phone and escorting her to their location.
They contacted the emergency services for an ambulance and, following their guidance over the phone, undertook an assessment of John’s condition.
Joanne described all the scouts as being “wonderful, kind, calm and professional, a credit to scouting and our local community.”
To recognise their kind actions, which saved a man’s life, the scouts were offered the Mayor’s “Thank you” certificates on Monday, 5 August.
Although John has no recollection of what happened, he expressed his gratitude towards the group:
“I dread to think what would have happened had the scouts not been there. What they did on that day was incredible and the gratitude that I feel towards them is beyond anything I can express with words. I would like to thank each one of them for saving my life.”
Leader of the Council, Cllr Alec Brown said:
"These children, these scouts are real life heroes. In this modern day of consoles and smart phones, it is great to see young people in a scouts group learning life skills and saving a life of another. A huge thank you from me to all those involved."
Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, Cllr Neil Bendelow, said:
“It is an honour for me to have met these young people who, on the evening of 24 June, were nothing less but heroes. That day could have had a different outcome if it wasn’t for their prompt actions and teamwork. What they did is a testament of kindness and community spirit.”
Ward Member for Loftus, Cllr Linda White, who organised the certificate ceremony for the scouts, said:
“They are all incredible young people, and we are all very proud and grateful to their noble actions. They fully deserve this recognition and are a credit to our local community.”
Helen Tyreman, the leader of the group, added:
“We do first aid training throughout all the scouting sections at various levels and to witness my scouts in action that night makes me immensely proud of them all. They not only cared for John and his wife but also each other and it was great teamwork. They truly deserve this award.”