AN elderly woman from Wilderspool has praised the "brave little girl" who called for help and comforted her when she fell down and broke her hip.

Samah Hamam, aged seven, was visiting Mrs Renee Woodcock, who lives on Wilderspool Causeway, when she slipped on her doormat after letting the little girl into the house.

Pensioner Mrs Woodcock had broken her hip and was blocking the front door, so Samah called her brother and told him to go around to the back of the house.

Mrs Woodcock said: "She tried to comfort me but I knew something was wrong. She was frightened but she said 'I'll ring my brother'. The back door was bolted top and bottom and she had to climb on the sink to unbolt it.

"She is a brave, caring, lovely little girl and she said to me, 'it won't be long now'. She was brilliant and I am so proud of her for doing all that on her own initiative."

Samah's brother, Emad, aged 24, said: "My sister was scared, she rang us up and told me what had happened, but I couldn't get through the front door so she told me to go round to the back.

"I had to climb over the back gate and then she opened the door for me."

Mrs Woodcock spent five weeks in Warrington Hospital before returning home and is very thankful to her neighbours, who she says have taken good care of her.

Mrs Woodcock said: "I have no family but I've got brilliant neighbours. They've been round twice a day to see if I need anything. The funny thing is that when Samah came in, I said 'mind you don't slip'."