Girls honoured for life-saving actions

Three schoolgirls were presented with the Frank Harrison Award after their quick thinking saved a woman from drowning in the River Tees.

Maddison Glendinning, Kaydee Lawton and Olivia Wherry are all pupils in Year 6 at Green Lane Primary in Barnard Castle.

The school celebrated their efforts at a special assembly with a visit from Mr Harrison’s widow, Pauline, former town mayors John Blissett and Sandra Moorhouse, plus Mrs Moorhouse’s husband Ian.

They presented the girls with their award certificates.

In July, they helped a woman who got into difficulty after entering the river near the Silver Bridge.

The girls raised the alarm and guided the woman to some nearby rocks while she waited for assistance.

The Frank Harrison Award was first presented in 2024 in memory of the late Barnard Castle mayor and tireless advocate for the town, who died in 2023.