AN ELDERLY man who slipped on a patch of ice was rescued by three community heroes.

Michael Coates, who is retired and lives in Green Crescent, Slingsby, slipped on the sheet ice while on the way back from collecting his morning paper last Thursday.

Luckily, three lads from Slingsby, Richard Hindby, 21, Liam Collier and Rebbie Smith, were walking nearby. Not only did they help him to his feet, they also gritted the pavements to stop it happening again.

Mr Coates’s wife Nancy, said: “My husband was really bruised and shaken after his fall, but luckily the boys were there to help him indoors.

“I think most young people would have stopped at that, but Richard, Liam and Rebbie went off to borrow a wheelbarrow from Liam’s father, found a grit store, and gritted the footpaths down both sides of Green Crescent.

“Considering most people who live on the crescent are elderly, they did a real service by making sure the pavements would be safe to walk on.”

Mrs Coates contacted the Gazette & Herald to sing the trio’s praises.

She said: “We both wanted to thank them for what they did.”

Graham Hindby, Richard’s father, said: “The boys are a credit to Slingsby.

“They got the wheelbarrow and went across the green to the grit bin near the school, and got enough grit to do the pavements near the old people’s bungalow.

“The streets around there are always like an ice rink, while the council car park is always clear.

“I am very proud of Richard and his friends, although that road should have been gritted already.”