A group of youngsters who saved a man’s life have been praised for their quick-thinking.

Ella Selfe, Max Markham and Jersie Wiles pulled a struggling swimmer out of the water at Minster Leas and called an ambulance.

The three children were walking along the beach and decided to have a paddle in the water.

A man, described to be in his 60s, was in the sea a little further away from them.

“He told me it happened so quickly,” said Max’s mum, Anneka Markham.

“The man looked a bit distressed and was floundering around. He then went under the water and was a bit limp.”

The 12-year-old immediately went further into the sea and was pursued by Ella. Together they helped guide the swimmer out and pull him ashore.

Jersie ran to the Sweet Hut and raised the alarm with some of the adults in the area. She then phoned for an ambulance.

All three children stayed with the man, who was reportedly struggling to talk and was coughing up water. Ambulance crews arrived about 20 minutes later.

Max attends Borden Grammar School in Sittingbourne and is Ella’s cousin.

Friends Ella and Jersie are 13 and go to Highsted Grammar School together.

Their actions were highlighted on social media by Jade Williams, who saw the incident unfold on Wednesday (July 24) just before 1pm.

She said: “To the parents of Max Markham, Ella Selfe and Jersie Wiles. Please know that your kids have just done an incredible thing.

“Between them they pulled a man out of the water at the beach, stayed with him and called an ambulance.

“Thankfully he is OK – all thanks to your kids. Well done! They were very respectful, helpful and polite.”

At the time of writing, the post had received more than 800 likes and 150 comments.

Ella’s mum, Becky Selfe said: “They were really brave and confident.

“It's really nice to have some good feedback about your children.

“Both Max's family and myself feel passionately about making sure they can swim well because we've always lived on the Island.”

“We are massively proud,” said Jersie’s dad, Ross Wiles. “They saved his life and prevented a family from suffering.

“It was the right place at the right time.”

Anneka added: “I suppose we all can't say how we would react in those situations, but for a child to react that quickly – it could have been a different outcome.

“They've done really well in that instance to think on their feet.

“He saw someone in trouble and his nature is to help, so that's exactly what he did on the day.”

The news of the rescue comes after some youngsters on Sheppey were criticised following a spate of vandalism.

Previously yobs have burnt down the much-loved playground castle at the Beachfield’s sandpit, damaged parked cars owned by staff from nearby Wiggles Playgroup, thrown paint and glass in the outside paddling pool at Sheppey Leisure Complex and pulled plants from flower beds in Marine Town.

“Kids these days do get a bit of a bad rep,” Anneka explained.

“I'd like to think there are more good kids than there are bad.

“Not all of them want to vandalise shopfronts and terrorise people – like you see on Facebook every other day.

“Bad news is easier to report than good. I think it's quite nice that someone took the time to recognise the children on social media.”

Cllr Dolley Wooster (Lab) commented: “They decided not to walk away and made tricky decisions under pressure, including a very professional 999 call.

“We are incredibly proud of them. A lot of adults could learn from that type of behaviour.

“They decided not to walk away and made tricky decisions under pressure, including a very professional 999 call.”

“There is a certain perception of our young people. They aren’t ‘feral’ – they are of excellent quality.”

An ambulance spokeswoman confirmed they were called at around 1pm to reports of someone in need of medical attention at Minster Leas beach.

She added: “Crews assessed and treated one person at the scene before taking them to Medway Maritime Hospital for further medical treatment.”

In July 2023, Swale council announced the beach would no longer have a lifeguard presence.

Due to difficulties recruiting lifeguards, the RNLI decided to focus on other areas.