A ‘truly amazing’ young man who bravely jumped into the sea to save a stranger’s life has died.
Alex Gibson, 22, plunged into the water in Blackpool after spotting another man in trouble on Friday morning.
But he ended up getting into difficulty in the waves close to the North Pier around 4.20am.
Emergency services raced to help Alex with crews including HM Coastguard Fleetwood and Lytham, together with RNLI Fleetwood and Blackpool and a Coastguard rescue helicopter.
It is understood the young man managed to ‘crawl out’ of the sea.
Alex was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital but could not be saved.
He worked at a fish and chip shop which closed for the day on Friday after learning of the tragedy.
Paying tribute, the company described Alex as a ‘truly amazing young man’.
‘All his friends would agree that he was intelligent, hardworking, pleasant, caring, and literally wouldn’t hurt a fly.
‘He is a true hero, drowned sacrificing his life to help another.
‘He was loved by all his work colleagues, and we miss him terribly.
‘Tragically taken at 22. My heart goes out to all his family.’
Now Blackpool pub boss Hamish Howitt has launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Alex’s family and help pay for funeral costs, with almost £3,500 raised so far.
Mr Howitt wrote: ‘The beautiful Alex Gibson, 22, a true hero sacrificed his life last night in Blackpool, rescuing a boy from the sea.
‘A beautiful, caring, loving, son, brother and friend to all who knew him.
‘Please help by donating for a beautiful send off for a true hero.
‘First £500 will be donated by our family. God bless to all.’
A public memorial service is now set to take place on Saturday (August 7) at North Pier to remember Alex, starting at 7pm.
Organiser Siobhan Rosie described Alex as the ‘kindest, bravest soul there ever was’.
‘He was loved and will continue to be loved by everyone,’ she added.
‘Let’s show Alex the love and how proud we are for saving a life.’
A HM coastguard spokesman said: ‘We received a call from Lancashire police with an update on the casualty, and it was confirmed that he died.
As it was a fatality, the police will be responsible for dealing with it.’
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