Dad's search for 'hero' who helped son on train

A dad is trying to find a stranger who helped his son while he was having a panic attack.

Shaun Ainscough, a former rugby player from Wigan, was on a packed train home from a match on Sunday 5 July, when his 11-year-old son started screaming, taking his clothes off and begging to get off the hot carriage.

But a woman, whose name is still unknown, jumped to the rescue and spent the entire journey reassuring the boy with words and by using a handheld fan.

Ainscough, 35, has since put out a social media post asking for the woman to come forward which has been seen by thousands of people, with the pair desperate to thank her in person and "give her some flowers".

The pair had caught the 21:15 BST train from Liverpool Lime Street station after watching Wigan Warriors beat St Helens at the Hill Dickinson stadium.

"All the fans were singing and we were having a laugh, although because we were all stood up we literally couldn't sit anywhere," said Ainscough, who played for Wigan between 2009-10.

"But then my son just started crying, shaking, taking his shirt off and screaming to get off the train."

Ainscough recalls becoming overwhelmed with emotion as he saw his son in distress, to the point where he himself started crying.

"But then this woman who had just been minding her business came over and started speaking to my lad," Ainscough said.

He said she used a handheld fan on his face and told him everything would be okay, and after they got off at their stop, Ainscough realised he had not been in the right head space to properly thank the woman.

"It might not have seemed like a big deal to her but the small act was massive and we just want to say thank you.

"She could read something over text, but in person means so much more, and maybe we could give her some flowers just to show how much we appreciated her that day."

He added: "This hero came over and ended up being the strongest person on the train."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.