Joshua Hillstead’s stepmum Emma welcomes plans for life-saving equipment at the River Arrow in Alcester as she speaks about the tragedy
THE plan to install life-saving equipment at the River Arrow in Alcester has been backed by the step-mum of eight-year-old Joshua Hillstead.
Emma Hillstead told the Herald about the heartbreaking circumstances of how Joshua lost his life after getting into trouble in the water on 22nd July, and said she welcomes anything that can help prevent future tragedies.
“There are parts of the river that are beautiful and look perfectly safe, but just a few feet away there are hidden dangers, including where what happened with Josh,” explained Emma.
She lives in Alcester with her husband Carl, who is the father to Josh and his sister. The children normally lived with their mum in Maypole, Birmingham.
The beauty spot where the tragedy took place is well-known as somewhere families and young people play and jump into the river.
There are currently no warning signs or rescue equipment.
Now, one of the first rescuers to attend July’s tragedy, Matt Turvey, crew commander at Alcester Fire Station, has taken the lead to get four riverside life-saving kits installed at key points along the river.
Matt told the Herald: “It was a tragedy and that’s why it’s so vital we get emergency throw bags in place as soon as possible.
“I’ve since walked the route with the [Alcester] town clerk and we’ve identified four locations where riverside emergency boards with safety equipment should be installed so we can save lives in the future.”
In addition to the parish council, the scheme has the support of the district council and the Alcester Rotary Club.
Emma hopes the improved safety will make a difference.
“We wouldn’t know whether or not it would have made any difference on the night if there had been something there,” she said. “But at least it might have provided a chance to change things.
“Also if there had been signage there to say ‘deep water’ or ‘danger’, we would have been more aware, more conscious of the dangers of even just paddling in the shallow part that looked so safe.”
Haunted by circumstances of the evening, Emma continued: “Would it have changed the outcome on the night? I just don’t know. But I think people need to be aware of the dangers and the hidden dangers that the river holds,” she said.
The day after Joshua had fallen into the river, Emma was shocked to hear from police that families were still paddling in the river.
Bravely, she recounted the circumstances of how Joshua came to be in the river and hopes that it will serve as a warning.
On the night of Monday, 22nd July, just as the school holidays began, Emma was looking after the children, and had her new sausage dog puppy with them.
“We went out for a walk. It was a beautiful night. We didn’t really know where we were going, just having a little walk around.
“We went to the park and carried on walking, and came across a tree that looked like it had been burnt out or had been hit by lightning, it was black. It was near the water, and there were lots of pebbles by the river’s edge. It looked beautiful.
“There was a well-trodden path, so we went down there. And I stood on the side with the dog.
Josh and his sister were just playing in front of me, messing with the pebbles and the water, squishing in the mud. We were just laughing about, and they weren’t doing anything that would have put them at risk.
“Then I said, ‘Come on, it’s time to come out’. The sun was just starting to set. It was about 20 past nine.
“I said, ‘Let’s head back’, and I asked them to wash their feet and put their shoes on. Josh did that, while his sister was washing her shoes. Then Josh jokingly picked up his sister’s shoe and threw it over his head, and just turned and went to get it. It appeared that he'd lost his footing.
“His sister then went after him and lost her footing. And I stood on the side of the river and I just thought, ‘Oh, they’ve slipped’. I honestly thought I was going to go in and pick them up.”
Tragically, what Emma and the children hadn’t realised was how steeply the riverbank suddenly shelved, meaning that they were immediately out of their depth after taking a step into the water.
“I went in and just went under the water myself. We were all in the water.”
Although Emma managed to haul Josh’s sister onto a log, she describes the agony of not being able to reach Josh.
“He had been taken more into the current to the middle of the river. I’m not a confident swimmer, and I was just encouraging him and trying to get him to come to the bank, but the current just kept dragging him into the middle.
“Even though I’d called 999 from in the river itself, I just couldn’t get to him.”
The terrible scenario happened so quickly that Emma describes how she was filming the children happily playing on her phone, and can see that just minutes later she was calling 999.
The heavy burden of what has happened fills Emma’s voice with emotion when she is asked how the family is coping.
“There is devastation and heartbreak, and trauma. It has put a strain on the whole family and relationships.”
Emma has also had to deal with cruel comments made by strangers.
“People made comments like ‘where were the parents?’ Or ‘what sort of parenting is this?’ and all of that. But the children weren’t swimming around in the water, they were just playing with me standing there. It was a tragic accident.”
Mostly, though, the community have rallied around to support the grief-stricken family.
“There has been amazing support, which has carried us through,” said Emma.
In particular Emma mentions Kyle Hotchkins, who is married to one of her colleagues in the NHS, and who set up a Gofundme page during the dark days immediately following the tragedy.
“Kyle has been our unsung hero,” she said. “And neighbours have done shopping when we haven’t been able to face going out.”
Emma says that she hopes funds raised in Josh’s name can be used for the river safety equipment and also a bench in the park.
“We would like to put in a memorial bench with Josh’s name on in the park, because that's where Carl used to like to take him,” she added poignantly.