A YOUNG boy who has saved his mother’s life has become the Island’s first child to receive a special bravery award.

Ten-year-old Oliver Hosking’s bravery in dealing with the emergency when his mother goes into a diabetic coma was recognised with a new award for being ‘a little hero’. The Plat Douet School student has called the Ambulance Service about 12 times in the last 18 months after being unable to rouse his widowed mother, Sue, when her blood sugar levels have dropped to a dangerous level.

Asked what he did whenever he discovered his mother was unconscious, Oliver said that he first checked that she was in a diabetic coma. ‘If she is, I dial 999 for the ambulance and tell them mum is having a hypo [hypoglycaemic] fit. Then I make her some toast and put either jam on it or just spread sugar over the top,’ he said.

The Ambulance Service Children’s Award Scheme has been set up in conjunction with Jersey Telecom to recognise young people who react calmly and bravely in an emergency and potentially save someone’s life by calling an ambulance.