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Family of beach hero dad thank well-wishers as hundreds donate to funeral fund

Wayne Taylor bravely entered the water alongside Ian Pascoe, 62, a heroic passerby who also lost his life. The RNLI brought the men's bodies to shore after rushing to the scene on at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Co Durham on Sunday afternoon.

The family of the dad who tragically died trying to save his two children in the sea has thanked well-wishers for their donations.

Wayne Taylor bravely entered the water alongside Ian Pascoe, 62, a heroic passerby who also lost his life. The RNLI brought the men's bodies to shore after rushing to the scene at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Co Durham around 3.45pm on Sunday.

A friend of Wayne's family launched a GoFundMe page which has received almost 520 donations raising almost 9,000, with an anonymous donation of 1,000. Fundraiser Shannon Bailey wrote: "We would like to thank everyone who attended to the family at the beach and helped save their childrenthey are forever grateful. Sadly, two men lost their lives, and no one could describe the pain the families are feeling or enduring during this difficult time."

[Seaton Carew beach, scene of the tragedy]

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Seaton Crew scene of the tragedy(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Wayne lived with his partner and three children in Shildon, Co Durham. A family member said: "They have raised a lot of money. Shildon is a good place, and people have been pulling together." Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash said the town had suffered "a heartbreaking tragedy".

When the alarm, was raised, Mr Taylor entered the water alongside Mr Pascoe, 62, who was walking on the beach with his wife and family. Tragically, both Mr Taylor and Mr Pascoe, of Peterlee, Co Durham, died before they could save the nine-year-old boy and his younger sister.

[Beach hero Wayne Taylor]

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Wayne Taylor died a hero trying to save his children

Hartlepool, Redcar and Staithes Coastguard Rescue Teams attended the emergency on Sunday, as well as the RNLI, Cleveland Police and North East Ambulance Service. Police said the children were taken to hospital to be checked over and were confirmed to be safe.

The heartbroken families of the lost heroes have both backed calls to raise water safety awareness to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Paying an emotional tribute to his dad, Ian's son Dan, 30, said: "He was the kind of person who has always done the right thing.

[Beach hero Ian Pascoe]

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Ian Pascoe also lost his life helping to save the two children(Image: Family photo)

"He stood up for what he thought was right and took action when other people might have stood by and watched. He always lived his life like that, and I am so proud of him and so proud to call him my dad."

Dad-of-two Mr Pascoe had recently returned from a job in Saudi Arabia to spend more time with his family. He was walking along the beach when he saw the children, handed over his phone and jumped into the water.

"It was a Sunday afternoon walk at the beach for some fish and chips and ice cream," added Dan. He was with my mam and my daughter, his granddaughter. We are so happy that the children who were in difficulty survived, and so sad that they lost their dad.

"My dad did not hesitate when he saw the children in difficulty. He passed his phone to my mum and said, 'Here, hold this for me, I will be back in a bit.' He was never one to hold back; he would never witness, he would always act.

[Water safety campaign]

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The Mirror is calling for improved water safety as part of our Save Lives for Sam campaign

"And he went in to try and save them. I know that he would do it 10 times over if he thought that he was going to save a child's life. And that's why we are so proud of him."

Mr Pascoe, who had been working as a trainer back in the UK, returned from Saudi Arabia two years ago, after working there for 17 years.

Keith Smith, 75, a Tees Valley Wildlife Trust volunteer at the beach, saw the drama unfold, with hundreds watching as the RNLI took part in the huge rescue effort.

[Eyewitness Keith Smith saw the attempted rescue of the two children in the sea at Seaton Carew]

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Eyewitness Keith Smith watched the drama unfold(Image: Jeremy Armstrong)

Davey Short, of Bishop Auckland, also went into the water to bring the children out. He said: "The childrens mother was on the beach, she was hysterical and asking if I could help because she couldn't swim.

"Her eldest son had gone into the water as well to try to rescue his brother and sister but they were still out there. I managed to get hold of the boy."

The Mirror has launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to tackle the UK's growing drowning crisis. Backed by MPs, Olympic champions, national water safety organisations and bereaved families, the campaign is calling for urgent action to make our waters safer.

That includes compulsory water safety lessons in schools, a nationwide public awareness campaign, better lifesaving equipment at high-risk waterways, the introduction of Sam's Law, and a dedicated Minister for Water Safety.

* https://www.gofundme.com/f/wayne-taylor.

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