Teenage girl awarded one of UK's highest honours for bravery after trying to save drowning boy

Shelby Quigley, 14, had fought strong currents in the River Wyre in Lancashire to try to save Lotus Bowker, who had jumped into the water near Garstang Cricket Club with friends last May.

She has now been honoured with the Royal Humane Society Silver Medal for outstanding bravery.

Shelby, Lytham St Annes, had been taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition at the time.

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Shelby had seen Lotus sinking and quickly removed heavy clothes and boots before diving in and dragging him to the surface.

However, the water was too deep for her to hold him above her, and she was submerged until a man came and dragged the boy to the bank, reports The Telegraph.

An attempt to resuscitate Lotus was started. Then he was airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital before being transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he died the following day.

“What she did was truly incredible for one so young,” said Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society.

"Sadly, the boy died in hospital later, but without doubt, Shelby gave him the best possible chance of survival. Few people would have persisted in the way she did when they were so close to drowning themselves.“

Somehow, though, she stayed calm and showed incredible bravery. Very few people are awarded our silver medals, but she richly deserves it. She was a true heroine.”

Lotus, who was from Kirkham, had jumped into the river despite not being able to swim properly. He had been warned by his mother, Andromeda, not to enter open water, but she said he was “easily led”.

He also had a learning disorder and “didn’t know risk”, but he dealt with the condition by “copying his peers," she said.

After an inquest into his death in October last year, the area coroner, Emma Mather, concluded it was a misadventure caused by the unintended consequences of an intended act.

She said: “Lotus was potentially quite easily led, in part because of his disorder ... and I also find that this affected his ability to weigh up risks. He has been encouraged by his friends to swim and jump, but he was not pushed by his friends or bullied”.