A two-year-old boy was rescued from a raft on Port Erin beach on Wednesday afternoon by three young girls.

Harry McGowan was accompanied at the beach by his mum Victoria, his dad Lee and his grandmother Marilyn.

Harry refused to leave the sea raft after his mum realised the tide was coming in and she would struggle to retrieve him on her own.

The toddler was saved by three young girls from Port Erin who used their paddleboards to safely transport him to shore.

Harry motioned to his mum that he wanted to go onto the raft, where he stayed for roughly 20 minutes before the tide began to come in.

Victoria said: ‘Harry was enjoying the swaying motion on the waves and the sights and sounds of the beach.

‘However, before I knew it, the sea was up around my waist. I suddenly realised that we’d have to make a move soon or I would be out of my depth and unable to carry Harry back to shore.

‘I started asking Harry to come down for me to carry him. In the wonderful way that toddlers do, he refused and proceeded to shuffle further to the centre of the raft meaning I couldn’t reach him.’

In the sea at the time were three sisters from Port Erin, Keira, Skylar and Abigail Jones. The three girls were playing on their paddleboards nearby the raft when they sensed trouble.

Victoria continued: ‘They’d obviously overheard the increasing desperation in my voice and I was very grateful for their offer of help.

‘Totally unperturbed, one of the girls said “if we stack two of our body boards, he’ll be able to sit on it without it sinking and we can float him back to shore”.

‘I didn’t think Harry would go for it for a second, but when the girl suggested the idea to Harry, he happily shuffled to the edge of the raft and let us lift him onto the paddleboard.

‘The girls helped me keep the board balanced as we floated him, looking ever so slightly like a pharoah sailing down the Nile, back to the shallows.’

Naomi Jones, the mother of the three sisters, said: ‘I’ll be sure to let the girls know how much they were appreciated. Me and their dad are very proud of them.’

Victoria McGowan, whose family travel back to Cheadle in Greater Manchester tomorrow (Saturday), said: ‘It was a true display of kindness, care and quick thinking.

‘I hope their parents are as proud of them as I was. Their wit and thinking on their feet is exactly what you need on an island surrounded by the sea. Thank you to my three Manx fairies.’