'We want to give them the world' - Mum's heartfelt thanks to Norfolk RNLI lifeguards who saved baby

• Alice Corbett described what she had been through to ITV News Anglia's Andy Ward

The mother of an 18-month-old baby girl said she would "never be able to thank" two lifeguards enough after they helped save her daughter's life.

Alice Corbett, 27, was having lunch with her sister at West Runton beach cafe in Norfolk when her daughter Macie's eyes closed and she suddenly went floppy.

Ms Corbett said her daughter was struggling with her breathing and had become unresponsive. 

She told ITV News Anglia that two nearby lifeguards - Theo Maun and Max Sterry - had "saved her life" and she wanted "to give them the world because they gave us our daughter."

"It was a complete scare for us all," she said. "Just seeing her in that state was absolutely terrifying. It was traumatising.

"I just could not speak."

Her sister called 999 and was told the family needed to get hold of a defibrillator.

Her brother-in-law ran to the nearby lifeguard hut which was when the two RNLI lifeguards leapt into action, grabbing the first-aid bag with oxygen, and retrieving the defibrillator.

"As soon as the guys walked through Macie was unfortunately on the floor. Her hands and feet were blue, her breathing wasn’t great, at one point we couldn’t see her chest rise," said Ms Corbett.

RNLI lifeguards take part in months of training, from a fitness test to learning vital casualty care skills - training that Mr Maun, 21, said he was grateful for.

"The moment they asked for a defib my training instantly kicked in. I'm very happy with the training I received because clearly it's paid off!" he said.

"We have a checklist you have to follow, so we just keep going from one thing to another.

"For my first major incident it went really well but I'm also extremely proud of the family, they kept cool and didn't freak - not one bit. I'm extremely proud of them.

"It is just wonderful to see her now. It's brilliant."

The lifeguards stayed with Macie until the paramedics arrived.

She was taken to hospital and was found to have a high temperature, which led her body to shut down - but has since made a full recovery.

Her parents said the lifeguards' intervention had been critical.

"They took complete control of everything and put oxygen on Macie and reassured me," said Ms Corbett.

"They treated me as a human being not a panicked parent which meant the world.

"The guys absolutely saved her life," she said.

"I get emotional when I talk about gratitude to them because we will never ever be able to thank them enough for what they have done.

"When me and my partner sit back and think about it now, we want to give them the world because they gave us our daughter."

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