This is the moment brave tot Petie Rafferty met again the firefighter who carried him to safety during last year's harrowing floods.

Little Petie, who was eight months old at the time, was ferried to safety by Roland Jones after water gushed into and around his family's home on the Willows Travellers Camp in Sandhurst, Gloucester.

And yesterday, thanks to the Western Daily Press, Mr Jones, a firefighter from Lydney in the Forest of Dean, got a well- earned peck on the cheek and a fruit basket from Petie's mum Penny for his bravery.

The reunion happened on the day Floods Recovery Minister John Healey visited Tewkesbury and confirmed nearly £31 million of additional funding for 62 authorities.

The latest allocations from the Government's Restoration Fund include £7.5m to authorities in Hull, £4.1m to authorities in Gloucestershire, £7m to authorities in South Yorkshire and £4m to East Riding.

Gloucestershire will also benefit from £6.5m of new Government cash to repair roads and bridges damaged by last summer's floods after Transport Minister Rosie Winterton announced an extra £17m for affected communities.

But for Mrs Rafferty the thrill of the day was seeing the man who saved her child as the flood waters hit.

“It was lovely to meet him at last,” said the 26-year-old said.

“I had always wondered if we would see him again and I am very grateful that we have been put in touch by the Western Daily Press. Little Petie was too young to remember the experience but seeing your baby carried to safety is very emotional and I am very grateful.

“I had always wanted to say a big thank-you for what he had done and now I have. Firefighters do an amazing job.”

She added: “A year on and we are doing all right. The kids are worried because it has been raining and they worry the floods are coming back.

“Last year when it happened, they were very distressed. I don't think it helped because, as the water rose, I was getting scared because I can't swim and they could see mum was scared so it rubbed off on them.

“I was so grateful to get the kids into a boat but then we had to change boats halfway because the big boat we were in could not go into the shallow water. That was another horrible experience.”

Mr Jones, 52, who has been a firefighter for 30 years, said: “I was a small part of a big machine that day and I just happen to have been the one left holding the baby, so to speak.

“It was tough, though. On that day alone, I lost half a stone in weight from working so hard but that is what my job entails.

“We saw a lot of heartbreaking sights like people losing their homes that day so it's lovely to meet up with Petie and see that he and his family are doing so well.

“He was a lovely chap, a real little star. I hope that they don't have to go through anything like that again.”

Other photos that captured the nation's imagination included Tewkesbury Abbey from the air surrounded by water, the sight of Graham Hancy making a dramatic escape from his sunken car as flood waters rose to his neck in Tredworth. Mr Hancy, who had driven his Mitsubishi 4x4 under a low bridge when he smashed into a car which was already submerged, had no idea who the man was who had heroically gone to his aid and then disappeared.

It was later revealed the passer-by was David Quaterman, a 42-year-old contract worker.

Mr Quaterman said: “I could see someone struggling behind the glass. It was misted up but I could see hands on the windscreen. I ripped off my high visibility vest and took off my steel-toed boots and jumped in.”

Mr Hancy said: “I felt the car being carried by the flood water and it spun around. The water rushed into the front seat and in a matter of seconds had gone from my ankles up to my waist.

“I tried the doors but they wouldn't open. The back door was locked and I was starting to think, 'This is it'. Then I saw the electric sunroof and clambered towards it.

“It was only then that I saw a stranger had stripped off his shirt and swum over to rescue me. I am a good swimmer but he really helped me out by helping me to drag myself out of the sunroof.”

Daily Press journalists did their bit by taking specially prepared emergency bags containing essentials such as bottled water and bin bags to flood-hit residents. Pictured left, Brian Price, near left, and Simon Harding, braved the waters in a 16ft canoe to distribute the bags.

After the disaster Sir Michael Pitt arrived to assess what should be done to protect against flooding and the county was also treated to visits from Prince Charles, Princess Anne and a fleeting one by Gordon Brown.

Yesterday Mr Healey told the people of Tewkesbury: “One year on from last summer's floods I have been impressed by people's resilience and how communities have pulled together to get back on their feet. The floods hit large parts of the country causing devastation and misery for thousands.

“Over the year my priority has been to ensure these areas got co-ordinated and continuing support from Government. So far we've made available more than £100m to assist the affected regions recover and help those in greatest need.”