A BEWDLEY grandfather who saved a group of schoolchildren after a bridge collapsed in front of his vehicle featured on national television last night to get a special thank you.

Children from Lindridge Primary School, in Tenbury Wells, were helped by last year’s Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain to make a cake and biscuits for Derek Trow, who works for Kidderminster-based Holland Coaches.

The moment they presented the cake and biscuits to him was shown on the BBC’s the One Show.

In May this year, two minibuses carrying children from the school attempted to cross the Grade II listed Eastham Bridge before it began to collapse over the River Teme.

The driver of the first bus was 62-year-old Mr Trow who noticed the road giving way in front of him and the quick-thinking driver slammed the vehicle into reverse to save those on board from harm,

Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.

At the time of the incident, Mr Trow said: “There was an almighty row and the apex collapsed. We would have gone down there.

“We were just lucky.

“There were two buses – I was in the lead. I had just got onto the bridge when I saw just over the apex some of the road had given way.

“I stopped and gestured to the bus behind me to move so I could reverse back to get my wheels off the bridge.

“I have been driving buses for about 17 years and that is where you training kicks in.

“You just do it.”