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Joshua Hillstead, an eight-year-old boy from Maypole, Birmingham, sadly passes away after being pulled from the River Arrow on Monday evening




THE Alcester community was united in sorrow after police shared the sad news that a boy had died after falling into the river on Monday night.

Joshua Hillstead, an eight-year-old boy from Maypole, Birmingham, sadly passed away following complications resulting from drowning after being pulled from the River Arrow.

A Warwickshire Police spokesperson said: “On the evening of 22nd July at around 9.30pm, we were called to a report of a young child who had fallen into the river behind Kingfisher Way in Alcester.

“Police, fire, and ambulance services were in attendance. The boy was pulled from the river, before receiving first aid and CPR.

“One other child [understood to be a girl] was also in the water but did not require further treatment and was returned home.

“Joshua was then taken to hospital, where he had been receiving treatment in hospital until he passed away late Tuesday evening (23rd July).

Detective Inspector Heidi Twynham said “Losing a child is devastating, and we offer our condolences to the family after this tragic accident – we are liaising with the family to provide support.

“Fast, unpredictable currents and invisible deeper sections make rivers dangerous places, particularly for children and non-confident swimmers. Please take caution around our waterways.

“Thank you to our officers, members of the emergency services, and the hospital staff for everything you’ve done over the past few days.”

As the tragedy unfolded, residents had been concerned by the volume of emergency blue-lit vehicles attending the scene.

This included ambulances, two paramedic officers, a hazardous area response team paramedic, a community first responder, the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance critical care car and water search and rescue team.

The tragic news dashes the hopes of all those in the community who had been sharing their good wishes for a positive outcome.

Our thoughts are with the family.



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