​Rugby star Mike Tindall made seven-year-old Abigail Payne’s day – by calling her his hero.

England and Gloucester star Mike met Abigail during a visit to Gloucestershire Young Carers’ group in Barton.

Mike dropped in to the group to see how Sport Relief money was being invested.

The group, which meets in the community centre in Barton Street twice a week, offers children up to 12 years old a break from their caring responsibilities at home.

Mike visited the group, which has about 40 members, just before Christmas to hear their individual stories.

Abigail, who recently started at the group, interviewed Mike for the young carers’ own newspaper We Care, We Count.

Her mum suffers from severe epileptic fits and Abigail has helped her in many ways – including running out into the night to fetch a neighbour when her mum fell and injured her head.

She made a lasting impression on Mike, who said she was now his ‘hero’.

He told Abigail: “I just run around a pitch, but you do much more than that. You really are a hero.”

A spokeswoman for the group said: “He was really bowled over by the stories that the young carers told him. It was great to have him there, and these events are brilliant in that they give the carers a break.”

She added that Mike, who was with the group for about two hours, even helped the children make their Christmas cards.

“He threw himself into it and got his hands dirty quite literally. He was covered in glue and glitter by the end of it all,” she said.

The group is one of 16 across the county run by the charity Gloucestershire Young Carers’.

To get in contact, visit www.gloucestershireyoung.co.uk.