Claires Court pupils hailed as heroes after life-saving river rescue

Six quick-thinking Year 9 students from Claires Court School are being hailed as heroes after saving a man's life in a Duke of Edinburgh canoeing expedition.

The dramatic rescue unfolded during the second day of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition on Monday, June 30.

Whilst paddling south of Wallingford, a team of Claires Court students, midway through their expedition, heard a call for help from a capsized canoeist.

The struggling man had flipped his canoe between two moored river boats and had drifted between a raised jetty.

James Wragg – head of outdoor education at the school, recounts: “The boys immediately rushed to his aid and radioed me and [supervising staff member] Mr Campbell-Starkey to let us know.”

First on the scene were two students, Harrison McNamee and Felix Gregan.

In the time it took for Peter Campbell-Starkey to paddle over to the exhausted man, Harrison had already exited his boat and helped the man cling to the jetty.

The boys also fashioned a makeshift stirrup using a rope, allowing the man to keep his head above the water.

Upon Mr Campbell-Starkey's arrival, with Harrison's continued assistance, the man was safely pulled from the water and assessed.

Mr Campbell-Starkey then provided care for the man, treating him for shock and helping him arrange for a friend to pick him up.

^{The pupils on their exhibition.}

The shaken man later revealed he had been in the water for approximately 25 minutes, getting colder and colder, unable to get help.

His foot had become trapped under his boat – and his poorly fitting buoyancy aid offered ineffective support.

Staff at the scene said the man admitted he had feared for his life and expressed profound gratitude to the students after his rescue.

Mr Wragg praised the youngsters for their timely action, saying: “Luckily, our boys arrived just in time and no doubt saved his life.”

While Harrison and Felix were instrumental in the initial rescue, their teammates Jake Masters, Ben Davies, Benjamin Tan and Cole Goodliffe also played a vital role.

These students remained with the group and communicated the situation to the supervising staff as the incident progressed.

The pupils’ bravery extended beyond the immediate rescue team.

Another team – Freddie Carpenter, Ethan Nation, Dexter Cook, Harrison Shepard, Amelia Noakes, Alex Borg-Potter, Kim Hall and Tilly Johnston – followed instructions 'perfectly’, paddling to a safe area and sensibly looking after themselves while the rescue was underway.

All students involved successfully completed their Bronze DofE expedition – ‘a testament to their resilience and values instilled by the programme,’ says the school.

The boys’ bravery was also recognised by headteacher, Steve Richards, who awarded them all the ‘Claires Court compass award for outstanding achievement’ during a school assembly.