Last updated at 20:02, Thursday, 05 July 2012

A Workington girl’s heroic action saved another youngster from drowning in a hotel pool at a Majorcan seaside resort.

Lily Wright, eight, of Princess Street, was on holiday in Puerto Pollensa with her father Michael Wright, 45, sister Evie Wright, 13, and mum Sara Connolly, 44, when she met Grace Rutherford, of Bangor, Northern Ireland.

The girls were playing on a ledge near the deep end of the adult pool when Grace slipped and fell in.

The ledge was about a foot above the pool.

Lily, who attends weekly swimming classes at Workington Leisure Centre in Moorclose and is in the level six group, jumped in to aid Grace.

She calmed her down, swam with her to the edge of the pool and helped her out.

Lily, a year three pupil at Victoria Junior School, Workington, said: “We were playing when Grace started to stretch her leg out to touch the water.

“She lost her balance and slipped and fell in and started to sink to the bottom.

“It all happened so fast and I didn’t notice she had fallen in at first until I heard a massive splash.

“When she was panicking she was pulling me under at first. I was really scared but I calmed her down by saying she was going to be fine, and then I helped her swim to the edge.

“I was so glad I was there and that I could swim well and help her.”

She put Grace on a sun lounger and ran to tell her family.

Grace had no injuries but was badly shaken in the incident last month.

Lily had asked permission from her father to swim in the adult pool because she was an experienced swimmer.

Grace had told her parents she was going to play while she waited for her mum to blow up her armbands. There was no lifeguard on duty at the time.

Mr Wright said: “Lily asked me if she could go in the adult pool and because she is a really good swimmer I said it was okay.

“I asked the other little girl if she could swim well and she said she could and they skipped off to the pool.

“The first we knew of the incident was when Grace’s family came and told us.”

Miss Connolly said: “It’s awful to think what could have happened if Lily hadn’t been there.”

As a thank you, Grace’s family bought Lily a stuffed turtle which she called Grace.

Grace’s mum Fiona Rutherford said: “It really had a big impact on her and she feels terribly indebted to Lily.”

First published at 19:20, Thursday, 05 July 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk