Cadet Molly from Colchester saved the life of a girl who was choking, using the first aid skills she learnt at Sea Cadets.

Molly, 15, cleared the girl’s airway, performed CPR and called an ambulance, before placing her in the recovery position during the incident on Saturday 17 June.

These skills – which Molly learnt at Colchester Sea Cadets – were praised by paramedics, who said her actions could have saved the girl’s life.

Cadet Molly said: “One of the girls ran over to me and said, ‘You’re a sea cadet, can you help, someone is unconscious’. When I went over, she was choking, she had a pulse, but I couldn’t hear anything.

“I didn’t really panic at the time, I just wanted to make sure she was OK. Everyone was really upset, but I just tried to keep calm."

The girl was taken to hospital and has now made a recovery. Molly added: “She’s OK now, she bought me a present and said, ‘Thank you so much, I will never forget what you did’.”

Molly’s mum, Maxiene, said: “I am so proud of her. I don’t know how she did it and kept so calm.”