AN elderly holidaymaker pulled from the water in Polperro at the weekend has described her 13-year-old rescuer as 'marvellous'.

Local lad Chris Puckey was at the harbour on Saturday afternoon working on a boat when Margaret Davidson, visiting the village from Cumbria, fell from the quayside into the water.

Chris and another local man but no relation, Lawson Puckey, began looking for a suitable boat with which to go to her aid.

'It was quite scary really' said Chris, who recalled being concerned that they used the right sort of boat for the rescue. 'We weren't sure she would be able to hold on to a rope,' he added.

The pair succeeded in getting their boat alongside Mrs Davidson, who later revealed she had recently had a hip replacement operation. She cannot swim and says her padded jacket had acted like a lifejacket and kept her afloat until the pair pulled her into the boat.

She said she had tried not to panic, knowing that wouldn't help, and praised her rescuers saying it could not have been easy for them. Chris, she said, had been 'marvellous'.

Chris said later that Mrs Davidson had thanked him very much and given him a hug and a kiss, describing his as a 'superstar'!