Friends who were nearing the end of a 10-mile charity walk rescued a man from a river – at around 2.30 in the MORNING.
The group of walkers, some dressed in onesies, heard faint shouting in Armitage Bridge which they didn’t take seriously at first.
But after children in the group insisted on investigating, their torches outlined the figure of a man, freezing cold and semi-conscious, in the River Holme.
Jimmy Boltwood, 40, jumped into the river and managed to haul the delirious man up a 5ft wall and slippery banking with help from girlfriend Marie Lenihan.
They then kept the man warm, covering him in their own jackets until a medic arrived 25 minutes later.
Jimmy, from Lockwood, said: “I grabbed him in a bear hug and managed to push him up. Marie pulled him and we got him out. It was really cold, especially when I gave him my jacket.”
He said the man, who didn’t say much due to suspected hypothermia, appeared to be dressed in hospital-issue clothing and had hospital-type bands around his wrists.
The walk, from Newsome to Meltham and back, was organised by Siana Clavin, 13, whose mum Donna is recovering from cancer. The 12 children and three adults set off at 11.30pm and got home in the early hours of Sunday.
