A woman is singing the praises of a hero local who jumped to her dad’s rescue after he fell into trouble in a frozen lake. Steph Beauchamp, from Cwmdare, said her dad got stuck in the sludge at the bottom of the lake trying to rescue her dog who had fallen through the ice into the water.
The terrifying incident took place on the same day that four children - including two young brothers and their cousin - plunged into an icy lake at Babbs Mill Park near Solihull, but tragically could not be saved. Steph, 48, said: “The day those poor children died on the ice could have been the same ending for my dad who tried to save my dog.”
Steph’s 79-year-old dad Clive Beauchamp was out walking her cockapoo Iggy at the park on Sunday, December 11, when cockapoo Iggy walked into the snow and fell through the ice into the water. The four-year-old dog then struggled to get out, meaning Clive had to smash through the ice to get to her but got stuck in the sludge at the bottom of the lake.
Read more: Boy, 6, becomes fourth child to die in frozen lake tragedy
It was then that passer-by Leann Marie spotted all the commotion and came to their rescue. Describing the scene she has since heard about, Steph, who is an ambulance worker, said: “Luckily for them a dog-walker saw them with a look of dread and fear on their faces and ran over as fast as she could to get to them.
“I could have had two of the most important things in my life taken away from me last Sunday if it wasn’t for the bravery of this lady.” As a means of saying thank you, Steph bought the stranger a Tesco voucher after tracking her down via her own friend. She said: “With the cost of living crisis I just didn’t think flowers were enough - I wanted to say thank you in a way that would really help her.
"My dad went out a little bit earlier that day so wasn't to know how bad the conditions were so there weren't as many people about as usual...There would have been fatalities if she hadn't have been there and she put her own life at risk - she's got a family and a daughter as well.
"Unfortunately she wasn't at the door when I called but she sent me a message later on thanking me, saying that after seeing the look on my dad, and on my dog's face she had to run to them as quickly as possible." Steph said Leann’s own grandfather had died a few weeks before, which is one of the reasons why she felt so inclined to help. Steph said: “Often in these situations the adrenaline just takes over, but in this case Leann had said that after what had happened she felt like she just had to do something and wanted to get them out as soon as possible."
Being an ambulance worker herself, Steph knows how quickly emergency situations can escalate, and is still full of relief after the incident. She said: "I just keep thinking what if? What if? I see my dad every day and I got my dog four years ago. She was a real life-saver in lockdown and the pair of them are just my eyes and ears. You have to be so careful in the winter, and also remember to keep dogs on their leads."
To get news from the Cynon Valley straight to your inbox, subscribe to our dedicated newsletter here.
Read next:
