Emily Greenwood has been given a Pride Of Britain award for Outstanding Bravery (Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeEmily Greenwood was walking along the beach with her son in January 2023 when she heard screams coming from the sea. After seeing that a boy and his stepdad had been dragged out by powerful currents, Emily, 52, knew she had to act immediately. Here she tells OK! how she swam 400 metres in the winter sea to save the duo – something which resulted in her winning the Outstanding Bravery award at this year’s Pride Of Britain… “After weeks and weeks of grey January skies, finally we were met by some sunny weather. I wanted to make the most of the rare bright winter’s day, so I headed to my local beach, Holywell Bay, with my son just as we’d done many times before. Little did we know that this time, things would be a lot different.
Emily was walking along the beach when she heard screams coming from the sea
(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
When we arrived, everything was normal. We walked along the beach, grabbed a snack, and decided to begin making our way home after spending the morning soaking up the sunshine. But as we made our way across the sand, cries of, ‘Help me, help me’ came from the sea. Looking up, I saw a boy in the water. He was wearing a wetsuit and had a bodyboard. He’d been in the shallows but was overwhelmed by a rip current and had been dragged out to sea. On the water’s edge, his mum was overcome with shock while the man she was with stripped off and dove in, but he, too, was swept away. I knew I needed to do something. I pushed my son in his wheelchair to safety, ran to the boy’s mum and explained that we needed to get them both to swim across the rip. We stood by the edge, waving our hands in the air, shouting, ‘Go this way’ for five minutes until I realised that they were never going to respond. They couldn’t hear us.
Emily initially tried to get the pair to swim across the rip, but they couldn’t hear her instructions
(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to be part of it, but there was no one else around. My first instinct was that I didn’t want to go into water, but it was my only option. It sounds dramatic, but it was. Time is really important, particularly in January when the water is 9°C. I didn’t have time to ring anybody for help. I just had to do it myself. I stripped down to my underwear and headed in. I’m part of the Holywell Bay Surf Life Saving Club, and we do a New Year’s Day dip. I usually take forever to go in because of the temperature, but this time, I had so much adrenaline coursing through me that the water didn’t feel that cold. I just took one huge gasp and ran in. At first, I hoped to get to chest depth and be able to give them instructions, but I soon realised that this was a crazy idea, so I started swimming. As it was January, there were big waves and offshore wind pushing them further out.
Emily realised that she needed to take immediate action before it was too late
(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
As I reached the pair, I said, ‘I’m not a lifeguard, but I know how to help you. My name’s Emily, we just need to swim across the rip.’ The boy was terribly upset and kept shouting, ‘We’re going to die’ while the man was unresponsive and panting for breath. I was aware that this could go wrong, but I couldn’t think like that. I tried to be reassuring and act like I was in control. I’ve been a member of the surf club for 10 years, but I’m not a trained lifeguard. Luckily, the boy’s bodyboard meant we had something to hold. While the boy and man grabbed it, I held it in one hand and paddled 400 metres back to the shore. Once we reached shallow enough water, the boy ran to his mum. But as the man and I walked out, he buckled in the water and went under. He was in a state of hypothermic collapse, and I needed to lift him out. By a stroke of luck, a dog walker saw what was happening and came over to help. Alongside the boy’s mum, we carried him onto the beach and put him in the recovery position. At last, we could ring 999, and soon, the first responders, the local Coast Guard, and someone from the Surf Club came to take over. Afterwards, we went to the Surf Club hut, and some friends brought some clothes down and I was checked over by the paramedics. When I was there, a friend of mine said to me, ‘Emily, well done. Last time a boy and a man got caught in a rip, they both died.’ It was at that point that I thought, ‘Woah, I’ve done something to make a difference.’ That was a big moment.
Emily was able to help the pair paddle to safety
(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
But because my son was starving at this point, I had to drive home for lunch. It was just a normal day for us, really. I still had to care for him and play with him, the only difference was that all day it felt like my bones were frozen. I had loads of messages from people saying, ‘I can’t believe it.’ I replied, ‘No, I can’t believe it either’. My children certainly couldn’t believe it. They were gobsmacked because I’m not the greatest of swimmers. It was like a dream. Later that afternoon, the Coast Guard messaged me to say that the man, who had been airlifted to hospital, had been discharged. The boy was fine and had gone home with his mum afterwards, so hearing that everyone was fine was reassuring. That being said, I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I was thinking about all the things which could have gone wrong. I was very lucky — we were all very lucky. One year on, and I’m just relieved I could make a difference and save them. It’s not just them; it’s their families, their friends, and the wider community. I’m proud of myself, but I don’t feel like I had any other options at the time. I knew I could help, and that’s what I had to do. I still can’t quite believe that I’ve won a Pride Of Britain award. It really is incredible to be chosen on a national platform. I have no idea who nominated me, but it would be nice to thank them for their time and effort and for thinking that my bravery needs to be recognised in this way. It’s all so hard to believe.” Watch Pride of Britain this evening at 8pm on ITV1Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnPride of Britain AwardsReal Life
