Holiday hero dad rescues girl from sea
AHEROIC dad interrupted his family holiday to rescue a teenager who was being carried out to sea in windy conditions.
Robert Wellock, 40, a former competitive swimmer from Macclesfield, put his skills to good use at Lligwy Beach, in Anglesey.
He was on the sea front with his girlfriend Nicola Downing and their daughter Beatrix, six, when he heard cries for help and saw a mum trying to get out to her own daughter.
So Robert took off his T-shirt and flip-flops before entering the water, swimming out to the stricken teen and dragging back to safety.
He said: “There was a woman running into the sea and screaming ‘help’ and I saw someone else further past her.
“I swam past the woman and got to her daughter, put my right arm over her shoulder and under her armpit and pulled her back in.
“I didn’t really think at all, my daughter was a little bit worried at first but my girlfriend reassured her I’d be alright.”
Robert, of Blakelow Road, swam competitively for Trafford as a youngster.
He now works as a builder but was previously a rugby coach.
The rescued teenager, although shocked and upset, was unhurt.
She was about 50-60m from the shore and in windy conditions the waves would send her towards the beach but then pull her further out as they retreated.
The incident happened during a week-long holiday for Robert’s family on August 29 at about 5pm.
And he says the teenager wasn’t the only person to get into trouble at that location.
“Speaking to other people the coast guard was getting called out all the time,” he said.
“The wind was on the east (Lligwy Beach) side of the island, usually it is on the west so there were big waves, which is quite rare.”
“I didn’t really think at all, my daughter was a little bit worried at first.”