A SEVEN-year-old has been praised for his brave actions that helped save an injured pensioner.

Then six, Henry Hersey of the third Ringwood Scout Group had only just achieved his first-aid badge when he came to the rescue of 90-year-old Sylvia Downer.

She'd fallen at her garden and suffered a severe cut to her head when Henry heard her calls for help walking home from school.

Accompanied by his father Will and sister Anna, the Scout took immediate action to calm Mrs Downer down and reassure her while Mr Hersey called the emergency services.

Henry even helped to flag down the ambulance after he and Anna had found a chair and blanket for the injured woman.

He said: “My mummy and daddy are really proud of me, I’m so happy that I managed to help Sylvia and that she’s feeling better. I really enjoyed getting my first aid badge and learning how to help people who are hurt.”

Bear Grylls, chief Scout, hailed Henry 'a hero' for his valiant actions.

He said: “It’s amazing that someone so young kept so calm and knew what to do in an emergency. Scouting has given him these skills and Sylvia is living proof of how important they are.”

David Evans, a volunteer at the third Ringwood Scout group, added: “At Scouts we teach young people skills for life and in this case they have saved a life. Scouts is about having an adventure and making an impact in our community, I have a great time volunteering and I think everyone should give it a try.”

Henry has since won a county award for his actions. The Youth Council decided he should be the recipient of this year’s Lt Cmdr Henry Bruce Young Person’s Award presented by Robina Talbot-Ponsonby, the Lt Cmdr's daughter, at the county annual review.