A teenage girl who attempted to save the life of a boy who had got into difficulty on the River Wyre at Garstang has been honoured for her bravery.
As Blog Preston reported last year, 15-year-old Lotus Bowker, from Kirkham, suffered multiple cardiac arrests when he was unable to swim in a two metre deep part of the river near Garstang Cricket Club having jumped in with friends in May 2025.
Lotus was airlifted to the Royal Preston Hospital before being transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he died the following day.
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Now, Shelby Quigley, 14, of Lytham St Annes has been recognised with one of the UK’s highest civilian bravery awards after risking her own life trying to save Lotus.
Shelby was taking part in a Duke of Edinburgh bronze expedition when she dived in and repeatedly battled the strong current in an attempt to reach him. She kept trying to reach Lotus until the emergency services arrived.
It was this action which has led her to receive the Royal Humane Society Silver Medal, with society secretary Andrew Chapman saying that ‘few people would have persisted in the way she did when they were so close to drowning themselves’.
An inquest last October heard Lotus had a learning disorder which affected his ability to assess risk. Area Coroner Emma Mather concluded his death was a misadventure, finding he had been encouraged by friends to jump into the water but had not been pushed or bullied.
