The heartbroken sister of a teenager who drowned in the River Tyne has described him as a "smiley, happy, little man" and "the best little brother".
Emma Hattersley said her brother Robert, 13, got into difficulty while swimming in the river near Ovingham in Northumberland with friends last month. The 24-year-old said he got pulled in by strong currents and those with him were unable to save him.
Emma and her family had to wait for around six hours while the emergency services searched the water for him. Later that night, police arrived at the home of her parents Stella, 47, and dad Carl, 48, in Crawcrook, Gateshead.
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They gave the family the devastating news that Robert had passed away following the incident, which occurred shortly before 4.15pm on July 17. Mum-of-four Emma, who lives in Grange Villa, County Durham, said: "He was the best little brother me and my sisters could've asked for. He was always a smiley, happy, little man. He was the kindest person anyone could ever meet.
"One of his friends contacted my sister Chantelle about the incident so she rang me while I was on Facetime with my mam. My mam instantly started crying, she knew something bad had happened.
"His friend told Chantelle that his cousin rang him, saying Robert got pulled in by the current. They tried to save him but they couldn't."
Emma said another man at the scene also tried to save her brother but he wasn't able to bring him to safety. She said the mother of one of his friends called the emergency services.
Searches were carried out by Northumbria Police, Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Service, Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service, HM Coastguard and Mountain Rescue. Robert’s body was later found in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Emma said: "I posted all over social media to see if we could get him home. No matter how much I tried I still felt useless. The wait to hear about him felt so long,
"We were all on Facetime together when the police went to my mam's (home) to tell her, then all I heard was her scream while crying. As soon as we heard they'd found a body and it was believed to be Robert, I broke down. I couldn't think of anything except those words."
Robert grew up as the youngest of five siblings and had four older sisters Emma, Charlotte, 20, Chantelle, 19, and Victoria, 16. He lived in Crawcrook with his mam Stella, his dad Carl and Victoria.
Emma lives with her partner William Patterson, 23, and Charlotte, while Chantelle lives in Leeds with her girlfriend Karly Maltaz, 18.
Emma said: "We all used to drive each other crazy. I used to dress him up as a little girl with little pig tails in his hair and put my little sister's dress on him. He loved being the only boy as he knew we always had his back. We are all close siblings.
"When I think of Robbie, what stands out the most is when we used to wind each other up all the time and his cheeky chappy smile."
Emma said that Robert would play fight with her children and spent hours playing football with her youngest daughter. She said: "Robbie was a great uncle, my children adored the life out of him. Every time he visited the kids would be excited and they would jump all over him."
Emma said Robert, who attended Thorp Academy in Ryton, had lots of friends inside and outside of school. She said that in his spare time he would go out and play football. She said that on the day he lost his life she rang Robert, while he was stood at the bus stop, and told him to be safe.
Emma said: "I asked him where he was off and he said he was going down to the river with his friends. I told him to be safe and to ring me when he was home. He said 'I will, I love you' and I said I loved him back.
"That's the last conversation I had of him which I will treasure forever."
Robert's family held a memorial on August 2 to celebrate what would have been Robert's 14th birthday. They gathered at the spot near to where he lost his life and a handful of balloons were released. They also placed flowers and a piece of cake into the river.
They are now raising awareness of the risks around water and the importance of being safe. They have urged people to stop and think, spot the dangers, stay together, float in an emergency and call 999.
A Family Fun Day in memory of Robert will be held at from 1pm Crawcrook Albion on September 3. There will be children's rides and hook-a-duck, a football match, local crafts, dance shows, a disco, a raffle as well as stalls, a bar and food. Entry is free and everyone is welcome to attend.
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