A GROUP of students helped save a man’s life after a night out in the city turned into a dramatic river rescue.

University of York student Matthew Sherring-Lucas along with friends Alex Lusty and George Nunn, were wearing fancy dress as Roman Centurions and Highlanders when they left the Lowther pub in the early hours of last Wednesday.

The trio immediately noticed two women grabbing a riverside life ring and initially thought they were just fooling about.

However, on closer inspection, they realised the women were trying to help a man in the River Ouse who was clinging onto the wall at the opposite side on the river on Queen’s Staith.

York Press:

The three ran across Ouse bridge to help and dragged a man they believe to be in his twenties out of the water to safety.

Mr Sherring-Lucas, 20, who is from Pontefract, said: “We saw him in the water and did what we could to pull him out.

“In the end there was four of us pulling him out of the water.

“We didn’t really think about it, it was just a reaction to try and help him.

“Thinking about it in retrospect it was lucky someone was there and noticed.

“We were all humbled by the fact life can be taken away so quickly but proud we pulled together and did a good deed.”

Mr Lusty, 22, said the group reacted when they saw the man slipping.

He said: “At that point, a couple of us just switched on and started to sprint across the river.

“A couple of us got there and tried to lift him out, but his legs must have gone into shock because he couldn’t move them.

“It took four of us to hoist him to the street, and thankfully the police arrived no more than five seconds later.

“Matt put the guy into the recovery position and the emergency services took it from there.”

The friends did not know the man they saved, but say they have been left wondering what happened to him.

All three would like to get in touch and be reunited with the man they helped.

Mr Sherring-Lucas, a Sports Science and Injury Rehabilitation student, said: “We would like to meet him and see how he is. If he doesn’t want to, that’s entirely up to him.”

Projects like York Rescue Boat and the The Royal Life Saving Society UK’s Don’t Drink and Drown campaign have all been created as a response to river deaths in York. This includes the death of Megan Roberts, 20, a fine arts student at York St John University, who drowned in the River Ouse after a night out in York three years ago.

*If you are the man saved by the students contact the newsroom on 01904 567156.