Members of Ross Rowing Club were presented with Chief Fire Officer’s Certificates of Congratulation and Certificates of Commendation at the annual Herefordshire Medals and Awards Ceremony.

They were among the Fire Service staff and members of the community from across the county who received awards at the ceremony, which was held at Hereford Town Hall on Friday, November 10th.

The members of Ross-on-Wye Rowing Club rescued a group of teenage girls from the river earlier this year. The five girls were swimming in the river and came into difficulties as they reached faster flowing water near the Rowing Club.

Members of the Rowing Club who were training on the river at the time saw that they were in distress and rescued them using their boat.

Nathan Travis, the Chief Fire Officer said that their "intervention undoubtedly prevented the girls from drowning." Rowing Club members Karen Thorpe-Williams and Erica Hermon were described as "both selfless and heroic" whilst Dave Sykes’, Deborah Bullock’s and Ryan Stanley’s "quick response and calm thinking greatly assisted the rescue operation".

Graham Watling, the Chairman of Ross Rowing Club told the Ross Gazette, “We are really proud of these members for taking action and preventing what could have been a terrible tragedy. It is fantastic that their quick thinking has been recognised.”

At the time of the incident, which occurred on June 20th during a period of warm sunny weather, Graham wrote to the Ross Gazette to remind people of the dangers of this stretch of water.

He said that the water gets very deep and reaches a depth of 5m very suddenly.

He added, “It’s a great thing to see the riverside used and as long as everyone is sensible there’s no reason why we shouldn’t all enjoy this wonderful asset but please remember the river can be a very dangerous and unforgiving place.”

During the evening, presentations were also made to Fire Fighters for their outstanding service and commitment to the fire service. The final accolades, which were for The Fire Fighters Charity Runner-up Fundraiser of the Year, were presented to crews from Leominster, Leintwardine and Ross-on-Wye for all of their fundraising efforts. The Fire Brigade’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medals were presented, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Christopher James OBE DL.