Young heroines honoured
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston presents LJMU Good Citizenship Award
When schoolgirl Hannah Shakespeare tried to rollerblade over a dried-up pond, little did she realise that the stunt could have cost her life. The 10-year-old plunged into thick mud and within seconds sank up to her chest, unable to struggle free as she sank further into the mire.
As she screamed for help, Hannah's classmates realised it was up to them to rescue her. Over the next frantic quarter-of-an-hour, Ami Maytum risked her own safety to pull her friend out of the sludge. Meanwhile, Corrine McGinty ran for help to Ami's grandmother's house nearby.
Their remarkable effort will receive official recognition when the girls receive a LJMU Good Citizenship Award on Wednesday 5 September at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the first man to sail solo non-stop around the world, will present the two pupils, both 11, with their Award before delivering a LJMU Roscoe Lecture entitled The Cruel Sea.
The girls, who were all pupils at Brookdale Primary school at the time of the incident, were playing along the banks of the 15ft-wide pond, on a popular local field off Saughall Massey Road. Their former Head Teacher, Gordon Scholefield, said: ''This is the first time that Brookdale has presented a LJMU Citizenship award and we wanted to give it in recognition of activities that take place outside school. Corinne and Ami are worthy winners. Many adults would have panicked but they showed real resolve and commonsense in how they dealt with potentially a very dangerous situation.''
Lord David Alton, Director of LJMU's Foundation for Citizenship, agreed: ''Corinne and Ami showed real initiative in helping their friend out of a dangerous situation.
He continued; ''Unfortunately, young people are negatively stereotyped so much that a lot of the time we don't even notice it anymore - to the point where these stereotypes have become 'acceptable'. Around 900 schools and FE colleges across Merseyside, Warrington and Wigan are now members of LJMU's Citizenship Award scheme and by recognising the selfless actions of their pupils, we can hopefully challenge people to rethink how they see young people in society."
Picture: Corinne McGinty, Ami Maytum and Hannah Shakespeare
Around 900 schools and FE colleges across Merseyside, Warrington and Wigan are now members of LJMU's Good Citizenship Award scheme. 