PINVIN schoolboy, Josh Sheppard is back home after suffering a terrifying ordeal when he was impaled on the branch of a tree.

The branch, which gave way when he was playing in the tree near his home on Saturday April 2, speared his thigh, narrowly missing main arteries. As reported in last week's Journal, firefighters cut the branch off the tree, with part of it still sticking into his thigh. The nine-year-old was then flown to the Birmingham Children's Hospital by helicopter to be treated. The Pinvin Middle School pupil, who came home on Sunday, said: "It was really frightening and hurt a lot."

Mum Tracey Sheppard said: "Josh will be off school until his stitches come out, which we think will be in about two weeks. He said he won't be climbing trees again."