Date published: 24 September 2019

A Laverick Award has today been presented to seven-year-old Rufus Fuller after he helped at the scene of an RTC back in July.

On the morning of Sunday 21 July, Rufus and his grandad, David Mellor, had been on the way back from a car boot sale when they came across a motorcyclist who had been seriously injured near Nether Langwith.

David, who is a former firefighter, jumped into action to assist on scene while Rufus stayed in the car at a safe distance. 

Rufus Laverick with his certificate

With the arrival of Paramedic Trevor Pepper, closely followed by Student Paramedic Thomas Hobson and Technician Jennifer Betts, Rufus and his grandad continued to help at the scene by directing traffic and making sure the area was kept safe for the emergency services to carry out their role and transport the motorcyclist to hospital as quickly as possible.

David said: “We are all really proud of Rufus and how he handled himself on the day. You would never expect a seven-year-old to act so calm in a situation such as this, so to see him step up and help as he did is amazing.”

The Laverick award is designed to recognise children and young adults of courage, who have gone above and beyond to help another. The award is in memory of Nick Laverick a Paramedic and Team Leader who tragically lost his battle with cancer on his 37th birthday in September 2013. Nick’s colleagues all miss him terribly and along with his wife Sasha, who is also a Paramedic, decided to continue his legacy through this award.