A group of schoolboys have been hailed as heroes after rescuing a baby and her mum when they fell into a canal while running away from a gaggle of swans.
The boys, aged between 11 and 14, heard the cries of four-year-old Reya Wang as her mum Lifei and baby sister Eva, five months, had plunged into the water after being chased by swans last month.
The pram carrying Eva had rolled into the canal - and the terrified mum jumped in after it.
She began to struggle after trying to save her baby, as her clothes weighed her down in the water, reports the Liverpool ECHO.
Pals Joe Draycott, Campbell Law, Ethan Melvin, Jacob Potter, Ellis Hulme and McAuley Maguire were playing football near the canal and came running to help the stricken mum.
Joe explained how he and his friends quickly abandoned their game when they heard the cries of little Reya, running over to help while calling 999.
Ethan, 14, grabbed the baby out of the water - overcoming the force of the soaked layers of winter clothing which were weighing her down.
He spotted the five-month-old "spluttering" and attempted to perform CPR he'd learned in school, before paramedics took over when they arrived.
Their actions led to the schoolboys being presented with a bravery award by Chief Inspector Catherine Pritchard.
At the award ceremony this week, four-year-old Reya Wang even presented the boys with gifts from the grateful family.
She even received an award herself, for alerting the boys and showing them where they were needed.
Chief inspector Pritchard, of Cheshire Police, said: "I know the parents are very proud.
"You were just fabulous on the night.
"And to even think about giving CPR is amazing.
"So thank you for making Widnes a safer place and I feel very proud to be working here knowing there are people like you."
Joe said: "We were all just playing football, the girl ran up crying and everything just clicked into place.
"It was like we knew exactly what to do.
He added: "We all arranged everyone's role, it was that easy, it seemed we knew it."
Ethan's mum Susan said: "They’re a nice group of friends.
"They’ve never come across anything like this before.
"She [the mum] couldn’t lift her out. So together they got the baby out and then got the mum out.
"It shook them up but it’s better than if no-one else was there."
Saints Peter And Paul Catholic College, where some of the boys are pupils, praised their "courageous" actions.
Danielle Scott, principal, said: "We are incredibly proud of Ethan, Campbell and Joe – their quick thinking helped to prevent a potential tragedy.
"The courage that they showed is a testament to their characters and we hope that their actions inspire others to always help out those in need.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the mother and children. We hope that they are recovering well."
Sgt Sarah Kirkbridge said: "I would like to thank the boys for helping to rescue the woman and her baby.
"Their quick thinking and bravery prevented this incident from becoming far more serious.
"The mother also did a great job in keeping her baby dry despite its pram having rolled into the cold water."
