A SKIPTON toddler has been hailed a hero after getting help for his father who had knocked himself out while playing a game with him.

William Barclay, 3, wasted no time in dashing to a neighbour’s house at the weekend when his dad, David, tripped while playing basketball with his son in the drive of their home in Beamsley Court.

“It was Saturday afternoon and we were playing outside in the drive.

“I grabbed a basketball and was dribbling it to take a shot when I slipped, fell backwards and bashed my head on a metal gate.

“Basically I was trying to show off in front of my son, but I’d got flip-flops on and they had slipped and given way underneath me. I know I shouldn’t have been playing games like that with that sort of footwear on and they are now in the bin,” he said.

Mr Barclay, a cook at Morey’s Health Store and Vegetarian Cafe, in Skipton High Street, and who is currently on furlough, said he was out cold but William dashed round to a neighbour to get help. She told me that William had pointed across to our house saying “daddy, daddy”.

“My fiancée, Georgia Foley, had left only minutes earlier to take our daughter, Imogen, to her grandparents so there was no one else at home at the time.

“I came round to see five neighbours standing over me and William playing with his fire engine, but I was really dizzy and can’t really remember much about it.

“Fortunately Georgia came back soon after and called an ambulance. I was taken to Airedale and the next time I came round I was in the hospital.

“The doctors kept me in a few hours until around 7pm or 8pm to make checks and then allowed me home.

“I’m fine though still a bit concussed,” he said. “I did sleep a lot afterwards and still can’t remember fully what happened. I threw the flip-flips away so I won’t do it again,” he said.

Mr Barclay said he was amazed William had the tenacity to understand his dad needed help and to go to a familiar neighbour as he only turned three in May.

“We have a good community here and our neighbours are our friends.

“They thought initially William was telling them I was painting the fence until they saw me.

“William has limited speech, so we are especially proud that he managed to get help in an emergency situation.”