Teenager Kyle Davis rescued after he falls in Taunton canal

Teenager Kyle Davis was making his way along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal at Priorswood on Friday morning (December 4) when the drama unfolded.

After falling into the water, on his bike, the youngster began to panic in the freezing water.

It was then help arrived, in the form of Jon Joyce.

Mr Joyce, head chef at Streetfood Fiesta, had run to Kyle’s aid after seeing him fall into the canal.

After pulling the youngster - and his bike - out of the water, Mr Joyce gave Kyle the jacket he was wearing to keep him warm as he walked home.

“Kyle and I passed each other under the bridge along the canal, but as he went to exit the bridge, he swerved and went straight into the water, bike and all,” said Mr Joyce.

“He started panicking as the shock from the cold water set in instantly, he was really struggling in the water and shouting for help but by this time I had already ran back and reached him.

“I managed to pull Kyle out and then I went back for his bike, luckily his bike was upside down in the water so I could reach one of his tyres with one hand and pulled it out.

“We both stood there for a moment trying to calm down. I asked him where he lived and he said it wasn’t far, so I told him he needed to go home and warm up.

“I gave him my coat for the journey home and I went on to work.”

Kyle’s mum, Emma Davis, was so grateful for Mr Joyce’s help that she took to Facebook to try and return his jacket.

“I managed to find Jon on Facebook so I could thank him personally and he was just relieved that kyle was ok,” she said.

“He was my sons hero. God forbid if he or any one else wasn’t there.”

Mr Joyce, from West Monkton, has four children, and lives with his wife Kate, who works for the NHS.

After he went back to work the next day, he decided to send Kyle and his mum a treat - some hot chocolate.

“I only met Kyle for a few minutes but I could instantly tell he was such a sweet, kind hearted little man, he was so polite and so thankful,” he added.

“I felt he deserved a little treat.

“I work at Streetfood Fiesta so it was really no problem for me to make him and his mum a hot chocolate and get one of my drivers to take it to them.

“I honestly feel that anybody would have done the same so I don’t feel I did anything extraordinary.

“But what does mean everything to me is how thankful Kyle was, he has called me his hero and that’s enough to make a grown tattooed man cry.

“All I’ve ever wanted is for my kids to be proud of me so to have a kid who I only just met, look up to me, means the world.

“We need to strive to live in a community where everybody looks out for each other.

“I feel like there is too much emphasis on fear, when really the narrative should be about all the good people that are out there and the strong community spirit we have.”