Heroic Dudley schoolboy praised for saving child in difficulty at sea on holiday
An heroic schoolboy who saved the life of another child in difficulty at sea has received a mayoral welcome.
The Mayor of Dudley Councillor Sue Greenaway welcomed 11-year-old Finley Hassall, from Kingswinford, to the mayoral parlour on Tuesday, after hearing of his heroic efforts to help a child who encountered difficulty in the sea.
Finley, a pupil at Dingle Community Primary School, was on holiday with his family in June and was swimming with his dad when he saw another boy panicking in the sea at Hayle Beach in Cornwall.
He encouraged the other boy to stay calm and float on his back like a starfish, a tip he had recently learned from the RNLI Stormforce Magazine.
Finley then flagged down help from a nearby lifeguard, who was able to get the child to safety.
Finley has regular swimming lessons and takes advantage of the free school holiday swimming sessions.
Councillor Greenaway, said: "It was wonderful to meet Finley today, his quick-thinking and bravery helped to save the life of another child.
"Learning water skills is essential and I was pleased to hear how Finley and his friends will be taking advantage of the free-swimming offer that’s available for under 16s at some of the Dudley borough leisure centres during the school holidays."
Finley said: "I enjoyed meeting the Mayor of Dudley and talking to her about what happened in Cornwall.
"I’d read in my RNLI Stormforce Magazine about how to float like a starfish so that’s what I asked him to do.
"I said I’d done this at my swimming lessons before and it will be fine if he could float on his back."
