A woman who fell into a frozen pond wants to thank the stranger who saved her life.

Jeannie Gracie went under the ice in Aldershot Park while trying to rescue her dog from the water.

She was pulled out by a mystery heroine who ran to intervene after hearing her cries for help.

Miss Gracie, 43, of Lower Farnham Road, Aldershot, said she could have drowned if it had not been for the rescuer.

The woman drove Miss Gracie to the home of her mother, Carol Gracie, in Guildford Road, Aldershot, but left without giving her name.

“Basically, I owe her my life,” said Miss Gracie. “I just want to thank her and get her flowers or something. If she hadn’t been there for me I don’t know what would have happened.”

The incident happened at around 11.30am on Thursday last week. Miss Gracie, a mother-of-two, had started to walk her two Yorkshire terriers, Benji, a male, and Pippin, a female, along the path which passes near the pond when Pippin went out on to the ice.

Miss Gracie ran to the bank calling Pippin to come back. The woman, who she said was aged around 55 with dark hair, was walking two large dogs nearby.

Miss Gracie was standing on the steep bank trying to reach out to Pippin when she lost her balance, fell in, and went through the frozen surface.

She said her memory of what happened next was blurred but she saw Pippin nearby while she struggled under the ice. The dog was visible because of the red hooded-coat it was wearing.

Miss Gracie grabbed hold of Pippin, managed to get free of the ice, and then swam back to the steep bank, where the woman pulled her and the dog to safety.

“I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t been there,” said Miss Gracie.

“I don’t know how deep the pond is, but the whole time I was in the water my feet never touched the bottom.”

The rescuer took Miss Gracie and the dogs in her burgundy coloured Mondeo to Carol Gracie’s house.

She accompanied them to the door but declined to give her name before leaving.

Miss Gracie said she and Pippin were not hurt, but the experience of being under the ice had given her nightmares and she had trouble sleeping.

She stayed at her mother’s house for about an hour and a half, washed her clothes and had a cup of tea before going home.

She said her mother had made her promise not go to the park or near the pond again.
“It’s just too dangerous,” said Miss Gracie.

Since the incident, she has taken Benji and Pippin to Manor Park, Aldershot, for their daily walks.

“There’s a pond there but it’s got a railing around it, so it’s less dangerous,” she said.

Do you know the mystery life-saver? Let the Star Courier know by calling 01252 339760 or emailing newsdesk@aldershot.co.uk.