TEACHERS have praised a pupil who saved the life of a 14-year-old schoolgirl who collapsed after drinking a bottle of Tequila.
Pingle School pupil Tom Causer, 14, used first aid techniques he had learned only two weeks earlier after finding a friend struggling down an alleyway.
He checked her breathing, cleared her airway and put her in the recovery position until the paramedics arrived. The girl later regained consciousness and is now fully recovered.
School business manager Martin Walton said: “We are all very, very proud of Tom.
“We are delighted with the way he conducted himself, he acted very responsibly and did not panic.
“He has taken it in his stride and until we all read it in the paper no-one at the school actually knew what he had done.
“What makes it more satisfying is that he has used and implemented skills that he learned at school.
“He was originally identified as one of 10 children to take part in a special project, with part of this being the first aid training.
“We would just like to reiterate how pleased we are for Tom and that everyone at the school is extremely proud of what he has done.” Tom’s Head of Year, Dan Brown, added: “We are all delighted with what Tom has done and it has shown that after being shown support he has excelled.
“To put this into perspective, I have GCSE students who have to do similar first aid as part of their studies and they all failed the practical part of the exam – it really reinforces what Tom has done.
“He didn’t panic, kept a cool head and saved that girl’s life — he should be extremely pleased with what he did and with how far he has come in the last few months.” The incident happened whilst Tom was having a barbecue with friends in Midway when two of the group left to buy some alcohol.
When the pair failed to return, Tom and his friends went looking for them and spotted them in trouble in an alleyway off Shelley Road.
Tom learnt first aid as part of a partnership between the St John charity, Youth Inclusion Support Partnership and Pingle School.