The Mayor of Dudley has welcomed an 11-year-old Kingswinford boy to the Mayoral Parlour today, after hearing of his heroic efforts to help a child who encountered difficulty in the sea.

Finley Hassall, a pupil at Dingle Community Primary School, was on holiday with his family when he saw another boy panicking in the sea at Hayle Beach, Cornwall.

He encouraged the other boy to stay calm and float on his back like a starfish, a tip he had recently learnt from the RNLI Stormforce Magazine. Finley then flagged down help from a nearby lifeguard, who was able to get the child to safety. Finley said:

"I enjoyed meeting the Mayor of Dudley and talking to her about what happened in Cornwall. I’d read in my RNLI Stormforce Magazine about how to float like a starfish so that’s what I asked him to do.

"I said I’d done this at my swimming lessons before and it will be fine if he could float on his back.

Finley has regular swimming lessons and takes advantage of the free school holiday swimming sessions. The Mayor of Dudley, councillor Sue Greenaway, added:

"It was wonderful to meet Finley today, his quick-thinking and bravery helped to save the life of another child.

"Learning water skills is essential and I was pleased to hear how Finley and his friends will be taking advantage of the free-swimming offer that’s available for under 16s at some of the Dudley borough leisure centres during the school holidays."