St David Awards: Teen surfer and plane crash rescuers nominated for bravery

Hero teen surfer Jo Morris saved two lives during a storm

A teenage surfer who saved two swimmers from stormy seas and two men who rescued three plane crash survivors have been nominated for bravery awards.

Jo Morris, 17, rescued two people from the sea at Aberavon during a storm last August.

Daniel Nicholson and Joel Snarr rescued the three occupants of a light aircraft which crashed on the A40 near Abergavenny in May 2019.

They are among 25 nominees in the St David Awards 2020.

The awards recognise the exceptional achievements of people and organisations, with eight of the nine categories nominated by the public.

'I had to try'

Speaking about the rescue which saw him use his surfing skills to save two lives, Mr Morris said: "The beach had been red flagged and the lifeguards weren't operating.

"Two people had been swept out to sea. My initial thought was to go and get them. I got one on my board and one on my leash.

"The lifeguards couldn't go out to sea because it was too dangerous. The lifeboat couldn't even launch in the conditions because the sea was too rough and strong. I had to try and get them in myself.

"Once I got them in the lifeguards took care of them."

Daniel Nicholson and fellow nominee Joel Snarr rescued three people from a burning plane

Daniel Nicholson and fellow nominee Joel Snarr are also up for a bravery award after rescuing three people from a burning plane.

"Without thinking I got out of my car and just ran towards the plane. It was engulfed in flames, it was turned upside down," said Mr Nicholson.

"It happened so quickly there was no time to think, you just had to react. It wasn't until afterwards you thought about what had just happened".

The winners of the St David Awards, chosen by an advisory panel appointed by First Minister Mark Drakeford, will be announced at a ceremony on 19 March.