He Heard a Splash on the River Avon and Jumped In Fully Clothed. Evesham Has Not Forgotten.
Samer Jouha, a carpenter who resettled in Evesham, England, from Syria, jumped into the River Avon in August to pull 80-year-old Wendy Snell to safety after she fell from an angling platform. Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has now awarded him its Chairman's Certificate of Commendation.
Just News Desk, Correspondent||4 min read
EVESHAM, England - Samer Jouha was walking along the River Avon with his wife and youngest son on Aug. 1 when he heard a splash. Moments later, the 49-year-old carpenter was in the water fully clothed, pulling an 80-year-old woman toward the bank. Three months on, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has awarded him its Chairman's Certificate of Commendation.
The woman, Wendy Snell, had been visiting the Battle of Evesham Festival with her family and was standing on one of the angling platforms along Corporation Meadow, watching the fish, when she lost her balance and fell in, according to The Evesham Observer.
Mr. Jouha's older son, Mo, told the Observer that his father noticed bubbles on the surface and then an arm reaching up out of the water. A child nearby had seen her first.
"I saw a child walking down the river. He was in shock. He saw someone in the water," Mr. Jouha told BBC Midlands Today in August. "I thought I'd go check, and I saw an old woman in the water lying on her back. She was a bit far from the edge.
"As soon as I saw her in the water, I just jumped to try to get her to the surface or closer to the edge."
The River Avon at Evesham, Aug. 1, 2023. Illustrative image of the river in Evesham; it does not show Samer Jouha, Wendy Snell or the rescue. Photo: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Geograph). Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:River_Avon_at_Evesham_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7563619.jpg
He reached her and brought her alongside the platform with the help of another passer-by, the Observer reported. A Maritime Volunteer Service rescue boat that had been training nearby arrived and helped get them both onto dry land.
"By the time I got her to the edge, the poor lady was holding onto my arm," he told the BBC. "I just saw somebody in need and I just jumped in to help her. This is part of humanity. If anyone needs help, I just help."
Ms. Snell was shocked and had a few bumps but was otherwise unharmed, the Observer reported. Mr. Jouha escaped with a painful toe. Once medics had taken over, he quietly went home. That night, his family said, he had trouble sleeping for wondering how she was. The next day, Ms. Snell and her son came to his house to thank him in person.
"She is so very grateful to this incredible man who saved her," her daughter-in-law, Sinaed Roulland-Snell, wrote on social media, as quoted by the Observer. "She was very lucky he was there."
The rescue cost Mr. Jouha his wallet, his car keys and his phone. Emma Nishigaki, a town councillor, organized a fundraiser to help replace them, and staff at the local Currys store gave him a new smartphone.
"I know how dangerous the Avon is. It's got undercurrents," Ms. Nishigaki told the BBC.
"We were incredibly moved by Samer's selfless actions in helping to save someone's life," said Martin Raper, head of U.K. stores at Currys. "When we heard his phone had been damaged in the process, we felt it was a small way for us to support someone who had shown such extraordinary kindness and courage."
A footpath through Crown Meadow beside the River Avon in Evesham, Sept. 1, 2020. Illustrative image of the riverside in Evesham; it does not show Samer Jouha, Wendy Snell or the rescue. Photo: Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Geograph). Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Footpath_in_Crown_Meadow_by_the_River_Avon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6639685.jpg
Now the fire service has made the recognition formal. Its Chairman's Certificate of Commendation is presented to "an individual who has made a significant contribution to community safety," according to Worcester News, which reported the award.
"I am very, very happy to have won the award," Mr. Jouha told the paper. "We thought we would get a thank you, but we did not think we would get a medal."
Mr. Jouha and his family, originally from Damascus, lived in Lebanon before coming to Britain through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, which brought them to Evesham about eight years ago. Asked what moved him that day, he and his sons have returned to the same idea.
"We came to this country, and everyone helped us," his son Ayham told Worcester News. "He just wanted to pay something back."
Mr. Jouha put it in his own words to the Observer: "I have got good neighbours and good communication with the community. They did good things for me and my family and now it's time to pay the community back."
Sources: Worcester News (Daniel Kelly), https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/26677218.syrian-refugee-honoured-saving-woman-river-avon/ ; BBC News (Sian Filcher, BBC Midlands Today, Aug. 18, 2026), https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly8pxzyy0po ; The Evesham Observer, https://eveshamobserver.co.uk/news/refugee-who-saved-woman-80-from-drowning-in-evesham-hailed-a-hero/ ; Worcester Citizen (David Winters, Nov. 2, 2026), https://worcestercitizen.substack.com/p/evesham-man-receives-fire-service
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