Brave seven-year-old Charlotte Pharoah has been hailed a heroine after helping her granny when she had a stroke.

The youngster, of Felling, in Gateshead, was off school sick and staying with grandmother May Pharoah on Tuesday.

Charlotte, who goes to Kelvin Grove Primary School, in Bensham, phoned her mum Sharon Toner when her gran became ill.

Sharon, getting ready to go to work as a nurse at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, then called paramedics, who were let into the house by Charlotte.

Now May, ambulance workers, Sharon and dad Graeme Pharoah are full of praise.

"What Charlotte did was marvellous, especially as she was under a lot of pressure," said May. "She is such a clever little lass for her age and if it hadn't been for her being there I could've been lying on the floor for a long time."

Proud mum Sharon added: "There are a lot of children who would've been too frightened to do anything but Charlotte knew exactly what to do. She's been really shaken by it and was worried about whether her gran would be OK.

"It is so fortunate Charlotte was ill that day as she really saved May. Otherwise she could've been lying there for hours."

May, 76, was in her kitchen when she collapsed and started to have difficulty breathing. Charlotte called her mum explaining May was unable to speak properly.

"I told her to stay beside her grandma and that I would be there in a few minutes, as I hadn't left for work," said Sharon, 31. "But a few minutes later Charlotte rang again saying her gran had collapsed and wasn't breathing properly so I told her I was going to call an ambulance and she should unlock the door so the paramedics could get in.

"She knew exactly what to do and when May started to come around she managed to get her on to a sofa in the living room."

When Sharon arrived she found the ambulance crew already there. Paramedic, Eddie Vasey, said: "When we arrived, the seven-year-old had the door open for us. She was able to tell us exactly what had happened.

"The girl was faced with an extremely frightening situation but her actions and behaviour were fantastic. She was really brave."

May, who had suffered a mini-stroke was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and discharged a day later.