999 call: 'Brave' Bea, 6, praised for raising alarm to 'save mummy'

A six-year-old girl has been praised for her "brave actions" after calling 999 when her mother fell unconscious.

A recording of the call Bea made after her mother Lucie Williams, 40, became unwell at home in Old Colwyn, Conwy county, has been issued.

She can be heard telling the Welsh Ambulance Service: "I just need someone to come and save her."

"I can tell she's not sleeping because she snores... she's not snoring," Bea told the call handler.

Ms Williams said they had been playing a game on their laptop together before she collapsed.

"Bea told me that I grabbed my 'poorly heart' and that my head had fallen on to the keyboard," she said.

"She tried to lift my head up and that's when I must have fallen to the floor."

Initially, Bea scrambled to find her mother's mobile phone and used her mother's thumb print to unlock it.

But she then struggled to find the mobile's dial pad and instead had to use the landline to dial 999.

'Amazing and calm'

During the call Bea can be heard saying: "I don't want strangers coming in," before the call handler reassures her she will stay on the line and let her know when help has arrived so she can let them in.

Ms Williams said: "We had talked previously about what to do in an emergency and also not letting strangers into the house.

"The call handler was amazing and so calm, even helping Bea to check the door and use the key to open it."

After police officers and paramedics arrived, Ms Williams was rushed to hospital where she remained for four days.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has awarded Bea a commendation certificate for her bravery

Tests revealed she had arrhythmia, an abnormality of the heart's rhythm.

"I am so proud of Bea and I thank the call handler so much," she said.

Katie Williams, 23, who took the call, has been an emergency call handler for two years.

'Very smart'

"When I found out Bea was only six and that her mum was unconscious it made me think hard about what I was saying," she said.

"[But] Bea sounded very smart and did incredibly well in understanding everything I was asking of her - I was particularly impressed by her awareness of 'stranger danger' and not letting just anybody in to the house.

"She was amazing and did a brilliant job for her mum."

While trying to identify exactly where Bea was calling from, she asking her to look for letters.

"It just popped into my head, anything that she might be able to find with an address," she said.

"Luckily Bea knew the house number and the phone line populated the street on my screen so we were able to work it out to get there as quick as we could."

'Educate children on 999'

The ambulance service was so impressed with Bea they have awarded her a commendation certificate for her bravery.

Chief executive Jason Killens said: "This is a perfect example of how important it is for parents and schools to educate their children on correct use of the 999 number.

"What Bea did that night was superb, and undoubtedly achieved the right outcome for her mum with the help of our skilled call handlers.

"We pay tribute to her brave actions and her calm nature and wish her mum all the best for a full recovery."

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