A RENFREW man who saved a woman’s life while he was out for an evening run has been awarded a top honour.

Gerry Gallacher, 44, was praised by the Royal Humane Society (RHS) for coming to the woman’s rescue last year.

He had been working his shift as a prison officer the night before and was not long up when he headed out for his usual run in Renfrew at around 5.30pm on November 3.

It was only by the light of his head torch that he saw a woman standing on her own in the dark on a bridge over the Black Cart Water.

Gerry told The Gazette that, despite being trained to deal with perilous situations within a prison setting, he had not encountered anything like this on the outside.

As the woman tried to jump from the bridge, he managed to pull her back to safety, before alerting the police.

“It was very close,” said Gerry. “I was trying to calm her down and reassure her.

“I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Gerry has now received a Royal Humane Society testimonial on parchment for his actions, after being nominated by his partner Sarah Whalen.

The RHS was founded in 1774 and today gives out a variety of awards, depending on the bravery involved.
Andrew Chapman, RHS secretary, is full of praise for Gerry.

He said: “Put simply, Gerry was the right person in the right place at the right time.

“If he had not arrived when he did, it’s almost certain the woman would have jumped and drowned.

“Fortunately, he managed to hold on to her, despite her struggling. He tried to flag down passing motorists but, unfortunately, nobody stopped. Then, still fighting to keep her from jumping, he managed to call police on his phone and get help.

“It was a situation fraught with danger and Gerry was a true hero.

“He did a magnificent job saving the woman’s life and richly deserves this award.”

Modest hero Gerry is also keen to let anyone who is struggling to cope with life know that “it’s okay to not be okay.”

He said: “In the current climate, there should be more information out there because it’s going to get harder for people.”

If you need someone to talk to, call Samaritans on 116 123 or Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87. You can also visit the website at www.samaritans.org.

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