AFTER reading The Beacon's front page report about three police officers who were commended for rescuing a man from a fire, regular reader Mrs Pat Johns came in to tell us about her own "unsung heroine."

Earlier this summer Mrs Tess Brown was walking her dog Poppy along the banks of the Monnow on Vauxhall when she was alerted by a splash.

She turned round and saw that an elderly gentleman, who was also walking his dog, had slipped and fallen into the river on the opposite bank near Somerfield.

"She immediately waded in to help him out, despite the fact that she had only a few months earlier had a hip replacement and was still walking with the aid of a stick," said Mrs Johns.

A passer-by then alerted the Fire Service and Tess stayed with the man until they were both pulled up the steep bank opposite by fire officers.

Whilst the Ambulance team were dealing with the gentleman Tess, still soaking wet, took his car, and his dog, who had also been in the river, back to his house to his wife.

She then walked back to Vauxhall with her own wet dog to collect her own car.

Making light of her actions, Tess said she was grateful to "a young lad who I think was called Jamie" who waded across the river with her and helped her lift the elderly gentleman out of the river. The water wasn't very deep, it wasn't dangerous so we were lucky we were able to get to him" she said.

Earlier this year, Tess won a Civic Environment award for her many years of voluntary work for Monmouth Animal Rescue and Rehoming.