Wirral students praised for quick actions after fellow pupil falls down hill (From Wirral Globe)

Wirral students praised for quick actions after fellow pupil falls down hill

11:15am Wednesday 10th October 2012 in News By Stephanie Cureton

Left to right: Headteacher Adrian Whiteley, James Kenny, Elliott Harosh, Elliot Morgan, Dominic Ward, Joe Armstrong, Ryan Hooker, William Hobbs and Mr Glyn Jones.

HEROIC students came to the rescue of their classmate after he found himself in trouble during a Duke of Edinburgh adventure.

The group of year 10 pupils from The Mosslands school, Wallasey, rushed to the aid of 14-year-old William Hobbs when he fell down an old railway embankment in the Derbyshire Dales.

The boys were coming to the end of their two-day expedition and William was just about to arrive at his final checkpoint in Biggin Village, Derbyshire when he slipped.

The teenager suffered a deep cut to his knee and could not move but six of his school friends wasted no time in carrying out first aid and dressing the wound with a bandage.

They managed to keep William warm with extra layers and kept his spirits high while they waited for teacher Glyn Jones to arrive.

And Mr Jones said the group did everything they needed to do to ensure William’s safety.

He said: “I talked the boys through what they should be doing in terms of First Aid, and found that they had kept the situation under control and carried out the whole procedure correctly.

"I then asked them for a six figure grid reference so they could be located whilst two of the boys headed to the final check point to meet another teacher.

“Before starting the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, a series of first aid sessions is carried out as a practice to ensure all pupils have the ability to manage situations like this. The group carried everything out correctly and remembered all their training.”

William was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Derby Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

Headteacher Adrian Whiteley said: “We are very proud of all the students who each acted very responsibly under pressure.

"They did not panic and responded with extreme composure, keeping the incident under control and William comfortable and warm.

“On behalf of all of the staff at our school I would like to commend the students for their outstanding bravery and confidence they have shown in the early stages on the Duke of Edinburgh programme.

“When William returned to school we presented all the boys with an award and letters of praise as a thank you and to say well done.”

Mr Whiteley added that staff and students are now planning to show their appreciation for the Air Ambulance team by hosting a number of fundraising activities to help raise money for the charity.