A SCHOOLBOY who gave life-saving first aid to an unconscious woman has been hailed as one of the nation's young heroes.

Anthony Derbyshire gave her the kiss of life after she had been clubbed by a baseball bat in a street fight.

In recognition of his selfless act, he has become one of the few people in the country to be awarded the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Young People.

Anthony, aged 16, of Wellington Street, Farnworth, was the first on the scene of an early morning brawl near his home.

The Harper Green School pupil was woken at 3am by shouts from outside a takeaway on Albert Road.

From his bedroom window, he saw eight people involved in a fracas which had left one woman with serious injuries.

Anthony, a former regular with the St John Ambulance Brigade, said: "I heard all this screaming and I looked out of the window and saw these people gathered around a car.

"One man was trying to fight the others off with crutches, so I decided to go outside to see what was going on.

"When I got out I saw the woman. I knew I had to do something but couldn't have gone over for my own safety so I went inside and called the police.

"When they arrived, I went over and saw the woman was in a bad way and in need of medical attention fast."

While one officer chased the woman's attackers, Anthony helped another revive the woman by giving her the kiss of life.

He said: "You could see a mark on her chin where she had been hit with the bat.

"The police officer began heart massage while I gave her the kiss of life. We both knew what we were doing and eventually the woman began to come round."

Mark still doesn't know the woman's name, or what happened to her on the night, but is glad he was there to help her.

He said: "It was a frightening situation but I never thought about not helping.

"I was just lucky enough to have had the St John Ambulance training."

He was nominated for the award by teachers at his school and was presented with the certificate by headteacher Peter Jefferies.

Committed

Assistant head John Nunn said: "Anthony is a committed member of the school community and very valuable at school performance times when he works backstage to ensure everything runs smoothly.

"His is a very unassuming and gets on with it. He deserves this award."

Anthony said his parents, Alan and Tracy, and his two younger brothers, were proud of him.

He said: "It's not something we talk about very often.

"It's not something I like to boast about but I will remember that night for ever."

Now, with his GCSEs looming, Anthony hopes to continue the good work he has started by becoming a paramedic.

He said: "I would like to continue to help people and this is the best way. I would ideally want to work in Bolton."