A Penryn College student has been reunited with a woman he and his friend saved from drowning at a Cornish beach during the school summer holidays.

Leon, a Year 11 pupil at Penryn College, and his friend Ollie, 14, came to the rescue of 59-year-old Sue Ball, who found herself in the midst of a rip current off Hayle Towans Beach back in August.

Ms Ball was struggling to keep afloat until Leon and Ollie came to her rescue after realising that she was in trouble.

Subsequently, the boys kept Ms Ball safe until a lifeguard was able to reach her and bring her back to shore.

After lifeguards had brought Ms Ball to safety on shore, she was unable to locate the boys to thank them, but a recent BBC appeal helped reunite her with Leon and Ollie.

Recounting the lifesaving story, Leon said: "We were out for a swim, getting taken out quite far, and we could tell it was a rip tide, so we began to swim diagonally back to the beach.

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“On the way back in, we saw a woman and could tell she was struggling and taking in water, so we swam over and helped her.

"She was on my friend’s back to keep her afloat and we were both helping her before we got the attention of the lifeguards who brought her in."