HEROES who helped save six people’s lives in North Yorkshire have won recognition for their bravery.

Royal Humane Society Awards for acts of bravery in the saving of human life were presented by the chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Lisa Winward, in a ceremony at police headquarters.

Steph and Dean Spray received their award after an incident on 11 August 2019 when a female was seen by members of the public climbing the wrong side of the barriers on the bridge over on the A64 near Malton.

A police spokesperson said: "The A64 came to a standstill on both sides, and we received a number of calls from concerned members of the public who believed the female was about to jump.

"Dean approached the female and tried to engage with her, but thinking that she was about to jump, took hold of her and kept hold of her.

"He was assisted by his wife Steph and PC Emily Jackson who are both West Yorkshire Police Officers, although off duty at the time. Emily’s partner Craig Rushworth also helped.

"They were also assisted by another member of the public, John Best. They all remained with the female until we arrived at the scene.

"When Police Community Support Officer Geoffrey Wynn and PC Holly Hornsby arrived at the incident, Geoffrey took over from Dean by taking hold of the woman to prevent her from jumping and Holly engaged with her in an attempt to calm her down.

"Shortly after, our colleagues at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived and a plan was put in place to get the woman down safely and the help she needed.

Teenager Robert Featherstone saved his grandfather after heavy cattle gates fell on him, pinning him to a wall by his head and throat on a farm at Crayke.

The 14-year-old managed to partially lift the gates away from his head, and then wedged a wooden strut in between the gates and the wall to release the pressure and give him space to breathe, while also managing to call the emergency services.

Emily Pearson also gave life-saving CPR to a man she discovered was having a seizure while she was driving along the A170 at Snainton.

Emily was driving along the road, she noticed a man at the side of the road trying to flag someone down.

She pulled over and he informed her that his friend Paul was struggling to breathe.

"After seeing Paul, Emily immediately saw that he was having a seizure and called 999 right away.

"She completed all the actions passed to her by the 999 operator and pre-emptively identified the need for CPR. Emily’s initial actions no doubt saved Paul's life.

"A huge well done and thank you to everyone who has received their awards and took part in these life changing stories. Their actions are incredibly brave and truly appreciated."