A heroic teaching assistant has been nominated for a national award after saving a child’s life.

Margaret Persaud, 32, who lives in South Ockendon, has been named as a finalist in the Workplace Hero category for the St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes awards after using her first aid skills to stop a child from choking.

Margaret, a Higher Level Teaching Assistant at Pyrgo Priory Primary School in Harold Hill, had escorted a Year One class from the playground at the end of lunch and sat the children down ready for registration.

While she was listening to a child read at the start of a phonics lesson she noticed one little boy struggling to breathe and changing colour.

She rushed to the child, who was choking, and stood him up. She then tried to clear the blockage with slaps on the back, but when this did not work she resorted to the Heimlich manoeuvre.

To her surprise a 10p coin from his dinner money flew out of his airway. 

It was only after the child had left the school to go to A&E as advised that she felt shaken up.

She realised it could so easily have been a completely different ending had she not had the life-saving skills she had been taught through the school.

Margaret said: “I am truly honoured to be nominated for this award.

"I am so thankful to have been provided with the first aid training through Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School and St John Ambulance that enabled to me to have the knowledge and skills to save a child’s life that day.

“First aid really is a life saver and I feel everyone should feel confident in using first aid so more lives can be saved.”

Margaret is one of five finalists in the category and will attend the exclusive awards ceremony at the Hilton London Bankside on September 28.

The star-studded awards will be hosted by TV presenter and best-selling author, Katie Piper, who as a parent understands the importance of having life saving skills.

Jon Knight, regional director for St John Ambulance in the East, said: “Everyday Heroes is the very essence of what St John Ambulance is about – ordinary people doing extraordinary things through first aid.

“We believe that no one should suffer for a lack of first aid, and the actions of our finalists prove that first aid really can be the difference between life and death.”

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