A 12-YEAR-OLD boy who fell through the roof of Clarendon Academy in Trowbridge was lucky to escape with only cuts and bruises, according to one of the men who came to his assistance.

Jason Hughes, who was playing football with his mates Leon Greenland, Ryan Parfitt and Kierran Ramsey, came to the rescue of the boy on Monday afternoon after being alerted to the fall by the youngster’s friends.

The group rushed to the scene of the incident, before one of Mr Hughes' friends lowered himself down into the school through the glass skylight that the boy had fallen through while trying to retrieve his ball.

Mr Hughes said his friend was then able to let the rest of them into the school so they could help the injured boy by keeping him still and bandaging up his cuts.

“We were playing football nearby when his mates ran over to us and said he had fallen through the roof. One of my mates was then able to lower himself though the hole in the roof and let the rest of us in to the building,” said Mr Hughes.

“His hands were really cut up and there was quite a bit of blood. It looked like he had tried to get out as there was blood on some of the door handles and when we found him he was lying on a sofa in what I think was the staffroom.

“We made sure he kept still and had a drink of water and then we found a first aid kit and bandaged up his hands. We tried to keep him calm and he said he had a pain in his back, which was a good sign as we were concerned the fall could have badly damaged his back.

“He was trying to get his football when he fell through the glass square, which I’m guessing he didn’t see. It was a big fall and he was lucky his injuries were not worse.”

Mr Hughes said he has since been contacted by the parents of the boy, who thanked him and his friends for helping their son, before confirming that he did not suffer any broken bones.

The boy was taken to Bristol Children’s Hospital in Bristol by Wiltshire Air Ambulance following the 10ft fall, where he was kept in overnight as a precaution.

Mr Hughes added: “They messaged me to say thank you for what we did, but they didn’t need to as we were glad to help. We are just glad that he didn’t suffer any broken bones.

“It was a pretty unexpected turn of events, considering we were just making the most of the Bank Holiday and having a relaxing kick about. The main thing is that he is all right.”

It was initially reported that the emergency services were alerted to the incident by a school alarm going off, but Mr Hughes told the Wiltshire Times that the alarm was going off in a different building.