Two young sisters have been given a bravery award by the Chief Constable for making a 999 call after their mum suffered a seizure while driving.
Nine-year-old Lily Barber and her young sister Eva, 6, were given the Public Bravery Award at Greater Manchester Police’s Awards ceremony last night, 23 February.
The sisters called 999 back in November when their mum had a seizure at the wheel of her car, managing to tell a call handler all the details needed for police to locate them and get both mum and daughters to safety.
Forty-one year old mum of two, Claire Barber, was driving her two girls from Wigan to Boothstown when she suffered a seizure, falling unconscious after pulling over to the side of the East Lancs motorway.
Lily and Eva were travelling in the car with their mum, and promptly called 999 when they realised their mum was unwell.
Over the course of a 10 minute 999 call Lily told a call handler from GMP their location, direction of travel, car type and their mum’s medical history, enabling officers to find them and get them all to safety.
Ms Barber said: “I am so proud of my girls for their actions on that day and for winning this award. I have always taught them at young age what to do in an emergency and I’m so proud that they acted upon it.
“I was even more impressed with the way that Lily and Eva listened to the call handler and to each other while it was happening, even staying in the car when I’m sure all they wanted to do was grab me and keep me safe.
“I would also like to say thank you to the call handler from the Police for keeping the girls so calm – they must have been so scared and you really helped make it a bit easier for them.”
Call handler Stephanie Baxter, who has only worked for GMP for around 18 months, was also recognised for the way that she handled the call and directed officers to the family’s car.
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “Lily and Eva showed real bravery and maturity when they must have been really scared about what was happening to their Mum”.
“Thankfully, their mum had taught them what to do in the event of an emergency and, thanks to their quick thinking and calmness we were able to get help to them as quickly as possible.
“It was a real privilege to meet Lily and Eva and present them with a Chief Constables Commendation. They are impressive young ladies and should be very proud of what they did.”
