INSTRUCTORS and cadets at HMS Cambria Royal Navy base at Barry, who went into action to find a suicidal teenager, are to win national lifesaving awards.

Helen Davies, 58, Sub Lt Commanding Sea Cadets Barry; David Richards, 69, CPO of the Sea Cadet unit, Llwynypia; Trainee Instructor Mark Roberts, 47; Trainee Instructor Dean Crapnell, 46; and cadets Ian Crapnell, 14, and Daniel Davies, 14, have all been awarded Royal Humane Society Certificates of Commendation.

All live in Barry, apart from David Richards, who lives in the Rhondda.

They also won the personal praise of the Society’s secretary, Dick Wilkinson, as he announced the award at its London headquarters.

He said that each played a part on November 19 last year, when a depressed 15-year-old cadet managed to escape from a training evening at the secure, fenced and gated Royal Navy shore base manned by MoD guards and near dangerous cliffs, stating his intention to kill himself.

“The alarm was raised by the two cadets, and the two trainee instructors went out separately to look for the youth," said Society secretary, Dick Wilkinson.

“They were out in a gale-force wind, searching a cliff top that was wet and slippery - had either lost their footing in the darkness it is likely they would have fallen into a very rough sea.

“With the search proving unsuccessful, Mr Roberts left Mr Crapnell to continue looking whilst he returned to co-ordinate a larger scale hunt.

"There he met the youth’s foster parents, who had been called by Helen Davies. Mr Roberts then directed Cadet Davies to telephone the youth, and several people present tried to talk him out of his stated aim to kill himself.

“Meanwhile, Mr Richards had made his way, inside the perimeter fence, to a point where he could talk to the youth, who was sitting with his feet over the cliff.

“He engaged him in conversation to persuade him to leave the cliff edge," added Mr Wilkinson.

"Helen Davies then arrived, and successfully persuaded the youth to come to the fence and talk.

“However, as they were inside the fence they were unable to physically restrain the youth. His foster father, however, managed to make his own way down outside the fence and took the youth back to the base.

“This was a real group effort," he said.

"All concerned combined well to avert tragedy. They thoroughly deserve their awards.”

No date has yet been fixed for presentation of the awards, made on the recommendation of Barry Sea Cadets, but it is likely to be in the near future.