A STOURPORT fireman has been honoured for his bravery after saving his father's life during a boat trip.

John Gittins asked his dad Paul Dennis Gittins and his mother Carol, along for a boat trip from Stourport to Worcester in June this year.

He wanted his dad, who can't swim, to help him when they negotiated locks.

It was the first time Paul Gittins, from Bewdley, had done this and the first two locks went without a hitch.

However, when the boat reached Holt Fleet Lock disaster struck. As the lock was being emptied the stern of the boat started to drift away from the lock wall.

Paul Gittins tried to pull it back to the wall but the rope slipped in his hand and although he tried to steady himself, he fell into the 20ft deep lock.

His son John Gittins was in the cabin at the time and heard a cry for help from his mother. He rushed to the deck, jumped in the lock and managed to find his father under the water .

He pull him to the surface and keep his head above water until the lock keeper dropped a life buoy. With further help he was then able to get his dad onto another boat in the lock.

John Gittins has been awarded a top national bravery and life-saving honour, a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Parchment, and has also won the personal praise of Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society.

“This was a horrific incident which came out of the blue when things appeared to have been going so well beforehand,” he said.

“What should have been a pleasant river trip on the Severn suddenly turned into a nightmare. Thankfully John realised immediately what had happened and the danger his father was in of drowning in the lock, jumped in, found him under the water and got him to the surface where ultimately he was able with help to get him out to safety.

“He was a true hero and as a result his Dad is alive today whereas he could so easily have drowned. John richly deserves the award he is to receive.”

The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. The Queen is its patron and its president is Princess Alexandra. It is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.

It was founded in 1774 by two of the day's eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

The Society also awards non health care professionals who perform a successful resuscitation. Since it was set up the Society has considered over 87,000 cases and made over 200,000 awards. The Society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.