A BRAVE nine-year-old who found his mother collapsed on the kitchen floor, bleeding from a head wound, has been honoured by the Ambulance Service.

Christopher Owen, who was eight at the time, kept his cool and dialled 999 giving full details of the injury and his address to ambulance control room assistant Catherine Sheay.

At the same time, he instructed a friend to get a towel from the bathroom and apply it to his mother's head to stop the bleeding. She was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton.

His mother, Joanne Owen, has since made a full recovery, and to mark his achievement Chris was taken on a tour of the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service control room at Cleveland Police HQ, in Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough

He chatted to Ms Sheay, before receiving a framed commendation from her.

Ms Sheay said: "He told me his mum was on the floor, and that she was asleep. He said she had cut her head and that he was pressing a clean cloth to the wound.

"He really was excellent, there was no panic whatso-ever. He also asked us to get in touch with his dad, Dave Owen, who is one of our ambulance officers. I can remember that clearly because Dave actually walked into the control room as the call was ending."

Mr Owen headed straight home but the ambulance crew was already treating his wife.

Mr Owen said: "We are very proud of him, all the more so, because he is on medication as he suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He did a brilliant job."