Man reunited with 'little hero' who saved his life

A man who was seriously injured while paddleboarding has met the 14-year-old boy who saved his life.

Oscar paddled to help Gavin Bowden, 60, after he was hit on the head by his board in heavy surf at Saunton Sands in north Devon on 25 April.

The junior member of Saunton Sands Surf Life Saving Club worked alone to pull Mr Bowden on to his board, signalled to the shore and kept him afloat for 30 minutes until help arrived.

After Mr Bowden left hospital he was reunited with Oscar and called him "my little hero".

Mr Bowden told Oscar's parents: "He's a great kid, he saved my life."

In an emotional reunion, Mr Bowden hugged and thanked the young surf lifesaver.

Mr Bowden told the BBC what he remembered about what had happened when he realised he could not move his arms or legs and was "totally paralysed".

He said: "I called 'help, help, help' and the little kid - I didn't know his name was Oscar - came over and said 'I've got you'.

"He started trying to reassure me, asking me my name and about my family and whether I was married, all the stuff he's obviously been trained to do, he was really good."

"They sent me a guardian angel that day," he said.

Oscar said he had been "quite scared at the beginning that I wouldn't be able to lift him because he's quite a big guy but I just had the determination to help him".

He said: "When I arrived Gavin was panicked and shaken.

"When he got his chest on to the board I went underneath him and just hauled him up, then went back around and grabbed him and pulled him up.

"Then I interlocked arms with him so I knew he wouldn't go anywhere, I waved to my dad and started heading out."

Neil Phillips, a coach at Saunton Sands Surf Life Saving Club, said Oscar had carried out a "textbook rescue".

He said: "Oscar talked to Gavin, he protected him, he got him up on his board, he kept giving him reassurance all the time and he wasn't tempted to bring Gavin in through the break, which would have been a disaster with a neck injury.

"He was just amazing, absolutely fantastic."

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