A NORTH-EAST youngster has been nominated as a national hero for caring for her mother.

Natasha Coleman, 11, has been looking after her mother, Julie, since she suffered chronic renal failure.

The schoolgirl, from Redcar, east Cleveland, helps around the house and has kept her mother company through dialysis sessions.

Natasha missed her birthday party to stay in hospital when her mother was still recovering from a transplant, in February.

Her dedication has been recognised with a nomination for the National Kidney Research Fund's Young Heroes awards.

Natasha was nominated by aunt Debbie Hilton, who admired the way she kept smiling when her mother was ill.

The fund will select two young heroes and they will each receive £500, and £1,500 for a good cause.

If Natasha wins, she hopes to donate the money to the special care baby unit at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, where she spent the first months of her life