Pride of Gwent: Hailing the real-life heroes

MEMBERS of the emergency services and civilians alike have been nominated for the Pride of Gwent’s 999 Hero Award.

This accolade honours people who have saved lives or acted bravely.

Tim Blacklock and Ben Jones have been nominated by Inspector Hannah Lawton for their courageous actions after coming across a distressed young woman on a bridge over the dual carriageway on the A4042 at New Inn/Pontypool.

Mr Jones was driving a bus when he saw the individual standing on the wrong side of the railings. He stopped his vehicle and climbed to where the woman was standing and tried to talk to her and persuade her to return to safety, remaining with her until police officers arrived.

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Meanwhile Mr Blacklock had been crossing the bridge with his wife and daughter and saw what was happening. He started speaking to the young woman and then held onto her shoulders by leaning over the railings, remaining in this position until negotiators were on the scene.

Inspector Lawton said the situation was “extremely volatile” with potentially fatal results and praised the men for remaining calm and doing all they could to help.

“It was an extremely stressful situation and their first reaction was to try and help the person in crisis,” she said.

The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s (SWFRS) Red Watch Malpas is nominated for its role in a water rescue at the Millennium footbridge over the River Usk in Newport in October 2019.

The crew swung into action after a distressed person jumped into the near-freezing water at a time when the tide was strong.

After attempts to coax the individual into the SWFRS boat failed, a member of the crew jumped into the water attached to a tether and returned him to safety.

The crew is praised for the way it worked together to achieve the best possible outcome in a difficult and dangerous situation. “They demonstrated the determination, courage and empathy that the Service and the communities of Gwent take comfort in and are proud of,” said their nomination.

The Helping Caring Team Newport and Caerphilly has been nominated for its work in helping homeless and vulnerable families.

The organisation has helped scores of people forced into desperate situations during the pandemic.

“They go above and beyond all year around to care for the homeless and vulnerable people of Newport, they take so much time out of their day to rally together and provide much needed aid, whether it’s hot meals, food parcels, clothes or household items for when people are rehoused,” said the nomination.

The 999 Hero accolade was won by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in 2019 in recognition of their work to combat the grass fires that flared up across the countryside during the summer of 2018.

Many crews worked overtime to battle the flames, which covered as much as 100 hectares in Twmbarlwm alone.

Falklands vet Simon Weston is housting our virtual awards

The South Wales Argus Pride of Gwent Awards has attracted scores of entries celebrating incredible people, groups and communities.

Judging is now taking place, with the event due to held on Thursday March 11 as a virtual ceremony, both to keep everybody safe and enable readers to watch and be inspired by the selfless and thoughtful work and acts of bravery we’ll be highlighting.

And after a year like 2020, it will come as no surprise that we’ve got some fantastic stories to tell.

Our host for the Pride of Gwent Awards is a man who is a hero to many for the way he’s overcome life-changing injuries and used his experiences and profile to help others.

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston CBE was just 20 when the bombing of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Sir Galahad led him to suffer burns to 46 per cent of his body, making him barely recognisable. He’s gone on to raise money to help young people and actively campaign on behalf of troops and veterans.

Honoured by The Queen for his charity work in 2016, and as the holder of numerous other accolades, he’s a man with a genuine message of achievement, triumph over adversity and the importance of seizing the moment and succeeding.

Joining Simon on the night will be a host of other household names, among them Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge Shirley Ballas, Welsh international rugby union player Sam Warburton and footballer Ian Rush, all of whom will be applauding the worthy winners of 15 categories.

Watch the Pride of Gwent Awards 2020/2021 on the South Wales Argus Facebook page at 7pm on Thursday March 11.