Ponds Forge emergency: Mum of girl pulled from water at Sheffield swimming pool praises 'amazing' staff

Emergency services were called to the leisure pool at Ponds Forge this morning, with four ambulances attending, along with police, and the air ambulance reportedly attempting to land nearby. They were called after a girl was pulled from the water by lifeguards at the popular swimming pool.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it had responded to a ‘medical incident’ at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and one person was taken to hospital. Sheffield City Trust, which runs the leisure centre said: “We can confirm that there was an incident within the Leisure Pool at Ponds Forge earlier today. Emergency services attended and have praised the lifeguards and wider team at Ponds Forge for their swift and appropriate response to an emergency.” The leisure pool was closed all day following the incident.

The child’s mother has now contacted The Star to issue an update on her daughter’s condition, saying: “I wanted to let people know she is fine.” She did not want to say anything further about what happened at this stage but has said she is keen to thank the person who helped initially.

She also praised the response by lifeguards at the pool, writing in a message on Facebook: “I would like to thank the staff for their amazing reactions today in helping my daughter. She is fine and being looked after at hospital for the night.”

Others also commended the actions of staff at the leisure centre. One person wrote: “The young lifeguard was absolutely amazing in her reaction and response bless her. The whole team of staff acted promptly and efficiently. I hope they have had time to gather themselves as it was very emotional.” Another person commented: “The young lifeguards today were amazing. They all rushed to help in a terrifying situation and deserve all the credit they get for saving that little girls life.”

Ponds Forge said in a Facebook post that due to an ‘incident’ in the leisure pool all sessions for the pool that day had been cancelled. Anyone with a booking was advised to email [email protected] to re-arrange their booking. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the leisure centre added.