Wigan teenager saluted for helping suicidal man

Nathan Kenyon and three pals from Warrington and Vale Royal College in Warrington showed no hesitation in coming to the aid of the man, who was considering jumping from the bridge over the M62 motorway at Winwick.

The friend, who are in the final year of a public services course at the college, stayed with the man and kept him calm.

The drama had been captured on CCTV, with motorway police later tweeting about the “unsung heroes”.

A social media appeal, launched by Warrington Worldwide, tracked down former Lowton High School pupil Nathan and his mates Connor O’Hara, Kaileb Walters and James Barnshaw to the Warrington college.

This week they were presented with Good Citizen citations by Insp Hannah Friend from Cheshire Police.

She praised the boys for their actions and said they showed “the best qualities of community spirit” and would be ideal candidates for careers in the force – a route all four hope to take in the future.

Nathan, who is 17 and from Golborne, said: “We were just walking home from college when we saw the man. We asked if he was OK and he said no.

"We knew then that something wasn’t right. Kaileb and I put ourselves between him and the edge of the bridge and kept a gentle hand on him, partly for reassurance.”

Kaileb added: “He was obviously distressed so we just tried to keep him calm while we waited for the police. We were talking about normal things like football. He was a really nice, genuine guy who was obviously in a state of distress.”

Insp Friend said: “These individuals have acted with compassion, bravery and selflessness. They have demonstrated the best qualities of community spirit and have rightly been described as “pillars of the community” for their outstanding assistance during this incident.”

Nathan added: “We weren’t aware that there was CCTV filming us – we didn’t do it for the recognition, it was just instinct and something we hope any other human would do.”

College principal Nichola Newton said: “We are so incredibly proud of Kaileb, Nathan, Connor and James – they are a credit to the college!”