Girl, 10, awarded for bravery after calling 999 to help baby sister having a seizure

A 10-year-old who dialled 999 when her toddler sister was having an epileptic seizure has been recognised for her bravery.

Lucia Charlton was nine when she called emergency services to help her two-year-old sister Blake, who is epileptic and was having a seizure.

When paramedics arrived at the family's home in Gateshead the youngster let them in and directed them upstairs to her mother and sister so they could help her.

Lucia has now been reunited with the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) team who helped her baby sister in the early hours of 19 October and presented her with a certificate of recognition for her bravery.

Matthew Potts, one of the paramedics who were sent to help, said: "Blake’s big sister Lucia stayed amazingly calm and called 999 before unlocking the doors and directing us quickly and calmly in from the street upstairs and to mam and baby so we could quickly assess and treat little Blake.

"Lucia's calmness and quick action ensured her little sister could be assessed and treated quickly before moving to the QE Hospital [in Gateshead].

Read more: NHS is 'collapsing and it's getting worse', union warns

"Her ability to remain calm and helpful through a stressful situation was remarkable and showed maturity beyond her age. She should be very proud of how she managed the situation and we wanted her to know how impressed we were by her.

"Meeting Lucia and her family again has been really special – we don’t often get to meet patients and families again and it’s lovely to see them again to be able to recognise Lucia’s bravery."

Watch: Ambulances will go to 'life-threatening' calls during strikes but may not attend falls

Lucia said: "I was shocked when I found out, but it feels good. The staff were really nice when I had to call 999 and I’m happy I was able to help my sister when she needed it."

Her mother Stephanie Wilde added" 'I’m so proud of Lucia. I had taught her how to do Blake’s rescue meds so she knew what to do but this was the first time she’d had to do it. It was amazing to see how well she reacted.

"I cried when we got the letter saying the ambulance service wanted to award Lucia for her bravery. The letter arrived on her birthday as well which was even more special."