A PAPERBOY has been hailed a hero after saving the life of a stroke victim – and then repeating the feat just days later.

Matt Pearce, 15, of Longlevens, was delivering papers last week when he realised a customer's door had been left wide open.

After stepping inside to see if everything was all right, he found 84-year-old widow Joan Robson clinging to the door frame in her living room.

"I have been studying first aid in school and I recognised her symptoms – I thought it was a stroke straight away," said the Churchdown School pupil.

"Her speech started slurring so I sat her down then called her an ambulance. I told her that I wasn't going to leave her on her own and I stayed until the ambulance arrived a few minutes later. When the ambulance staff arrived, I helped them too."

Days later, Matt, who has been delivering our sister paper in Gloucestershire The Citizen for 18 months, repeated his heroics when walking along London Road with a friend.

He said: "We passed a man who was sat on the floor. His speech started to slur too and I thought he was having a stroke too so I called the ambulance again."

On Thursday, Matt, who hopes to study construction at Gloucestershire College when he leaves school, visited Mrs Robson in the care home where she is recovering. She thanked Matt for rescuing her.