‘Real heroes’: Capital DJ Jordan North praises RNLI crew who rescued him
By Jill Dando News
Lifeboat crew from Chiswick RNLI were called to help breakfast radio DJ Jordan North when he got into trouble in the River Thames after he rescued a dog struggling in the water.
On Monday (December 16) at 5.05pm a member of the public raised the alarm after Jordan stepped from a pontoon into the water to help a struggling labrador, whilst out on a run.
The crew were out on exercise and reached the location, near Hammersmith Bridge, just three minutes later.
They found former I’m a Celebrity contestant, Jordan sat on a nearby float lift with the dog, as members of the public held up phone torches to help the RNLI locate him.
Jordan said on Capital Breakfast: 'A big thank you and a massive shout out to RNLI Chiswick who came and rescued me because I was getting a bit panicky. I was getting a bit nervy as well because I thought my legs are going to go, I can't hold on much longer so they got there just in time.'
'The real heroes here are the RNLI who came out and got me, put a blanket round me. They're the heroes.'
Thames Commander Gavin Simmons alongside crew Sid Blake, Tom Coe and Cameron Crawley found Jordan sat on a float lift with the dog, owned by a member of the public, on his lap.
Gavin said: ‘We are on call to help all those who find themselves in difficulty on the water 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even our beloved pets!
‘While we’d always encourage people to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard instead of entering the water themselves, we’re happy that in this instance we were able to help Jordan and the dog safely back to dry land.’
The RNLI is currently running its annual Christmas fundraising appeal to acknowledge the crews who keep us save over the festive period. Father-of-two Gavin will be on shift overnight at Chiswick Lifeboat Station from December 23-27 to keep the local community safe.
On average, RNLI lifeboats launch over 100 times during the Christmas period* every year. Whatever weather winter throws at them, RNLI crews are ready to battle the elements to save lives at sea.
There are many ways to support the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews this Christmas. To find out more, please visitRNLI.org/WinterAppeal
*’Christmas period’ refers to 24 December – 1 January inclusive
