Sun Newspaper, Tuesday, October 12, 2010 - By JOHN COLES
Space Hopper Saves 2 Drowning Girls - Lad hurls toy 60ft
TWO teenage girls who were minutes from drowning at sea were saved — by a SPACE HOPPER.
Charlotte Wright, 15, and Hannah Woolacott, 16, had been swept into the sea by a freak wave. Lifebelts thrown to them did not reach far enough. But quick-thinking onlooker Matt Gribble, 24, grabbed the large bouncy orange toy handed to him from a nearby house, threw it into the air and punched it 60ft out to sea.
The girls managed to grab its handles and used it as a float to paddle to a lifebelt in Dawlish, Devon. They were then rescued by the Exmouth Lifeboat and treated in hospital.
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Leigh & Matt with the Space Hopper
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Helmsman Giles White said: "A few more minutes and they'd have drowned. They owe their lives to local lads on the scene." Matt's pal Leigh Larratt, 24, said: "Matt, with a brilliant throw, managed to get the space hopper right next to the girls."
Charlotte and Hannah, thought to be from Exeter, were strolling on the sea wall when the wave struck. Their screams were heard by Leigh and Matt, in his flat, and they ran out to the wall. Brickie Matt said: "They were fighting for their lives when we arrived. "The sea was really rough and they kept going under every few seconds. We thought they were going to drown. The younger girl looked really bad but the older one held her up. We threw buoys out but the lines were too short. I gave the hopper a good punch and it landed within 2ft. "We were just in the right place at the right time."
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