'I thought my time was up when I fell down a well'

A man who survived a 30ft (9m) fall down a well has been reunited with the firefighter who rescued him, months after fearing he would not make it out alive.

Jonno Stubbs suffered multiple injuries after plunging into the well at his property in Cheadle, Staffordshire, in February.

After spending months trying to track him down, he met firefighter Jack Gaskell on Monday and thanked him for saving his life.

"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sitting here today," Stubbs said.

The JCB fork-lift truck driver described the incident as a "freak accident" that happened while he was building a workshop for his motorcycles.

"I just walked across the yard and the next thing I knew, I was dropping down this hole and seeing this big disc of light getting smaller and smaller," he said.

"I thought my time was up, then there was a big splash. I was in a lot of water, freezing cold."

Stubbs said nobody could hear him shouting for help until his brother-in-law arrived, found him and called 999.

Gaskell was among a specialist team from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service called to the scene after Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived.

The firefighter said receiving a report of someone trapped down a well, particularly in a built-up area, was "one in 100 million".

He was lowered into the well on a rope attached to a triangular metal frame and fitted Stubbs with a harness so he could be pulled to safety.

"When I got down there, I just made sure I kept talking to him," Gaskell said.

"We had a good chat and I explained what we were going to do. As soon as I got him in the harness, he was up and away."

Stubbs suffered a broken foot and a broken back in the fall and was treated for hypothermia. He remained in hospital for three weeks and said he went into shock shortly after being rescued.

He described his recovery as "awful", saying it had affected him mentally as well as physically.

"I'm a very independent person - from being able to do everything to absolutely nothing, not even make a cup of tea or a sandwich or get up and pet my cat, has been really difficult," he said.

He said three things were on his mind while he was in hospital: making sure his cat was alright, whether he would be able to ride a motorbike again and meeting the firefighter who rescued him.

When the pair finally met at Knutsford Fire Station in Cheshire, Stubbs said the reunion had given him "a little bit of closure".

"The guy's a hero," he said.

"All the crew are. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sat here."

Gaskell said it was the first time in his 22 years in the fire service that someone he had rescued had tracked him down.

"Seeing him here and speaking to him on the phone, the emotions that come out, it's just amazing that I was there and he's here with us," he said.

"He's got a friend for life in me and we'll always be in contact with each other."

Stubbs also thanked his partner, Becci Fisher, medical staff and his employer JCB for supporting him through his recovery.

"I've been through a lot but I'm a fighter, I won't let this beat me," he said.

"I will beat this."

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