A BRAVE Brierley Hill brownie has received an award for saving her mum's life when she suffered a severe asthma attack.

Most youngsters would have been terrified at the sight of their parent gasping for breath but six-year-old Antonia Roberts managed to keep her cool.

Proud mum, Karen, said she owes her life to the quick-thinking youngster, who came to her rescue back in March.

She said: "I'd got a cold and being asthmatic, it goes straight to my chest and I can go downhill very quickly.

"My breathing was getting worse and I started to cough and couldn't stop. Then I started to gag and couldn't get my breath.

"I was slumped over the chair and couldn't breathe properly and that's when Antonia stepped in."

The brave Withymoor Primary School pupil grabbed her mum's mobile phone and called her dad, Andrew, to tell him there was an emergency.

Mrs Roberts continued: "I was out of it so couldn't tell her anything. Her dad told her that if I got worse or stopped breathing to call 999, which she was prepared to do.

"Fortunately he wasn't far away so he was able to get home quite quickly and get my medication. Without that, I don't know what would have happened, Antonia saved my life."

She praised her daughter for remaining "calm and collective" throughout, adding: "She didn't panic or cry or go into hysterics, she behaved how she always does in any situation that needs some sort of action."

The youngster, now aged seven, proudly told Emma Dipple, leader of 1st Brierley Hill Rainbow Unit, about her actions, which led to her being nominated for the Mercia Star.

The award is given to any member of Girlguiding West Mercia aged between five and 26, who has displayed great courage or fortitude or shown great initiative or responsibility at an incident.

Wendy Cowdrey, Girlguiding Himley Division Commissioner, presented a surprised Antonia, who is now a member of the 1st Brierley Hill Brownies, with the award at a recent Christmas fayre.

She said: "Antonia is a very courageous girl who didn’t panic as it must have been a very frightening situation for her to be in.

"She showed maturity beyond her years and all the leaders at 1st Brierley Hill Rainbows, Brownies and Guides are extremely proud of her."