HEROIC Charlotte Purcell has just won a second award for rushing to the aid of an 82-year-old ex-RAF fighter pilot, when he crashed his light aircraft into woodland in Churt in August 2014.

The mother of four, who manages Lloyds Pharmacy in Grayshott, won the national Caring Colleague of the Year award, for staying with the pilot, Bill Dewey, for three hours into the night, until the emergency services could reach him and take him to hospital.

The crash happened at around 7pm but it took a number of hours to release Mr Dewey and he did not arrive at Frimley Park Hospital until 1am. Thankfully, despite sustaining some serious injuries, including six broken bones in his spine, the Guildford pensioner has made a good recovery and says he owes his life to her.

Last year, Mr Dewey successfully nominated Mrs Purcell for a Royal Humane Society testimonial for saving his life, when the engine of the plane he had been attempting to land at nearby Frensham airfield cut out and his plane came down.

Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, described her as a “true heroine” and said “the plane could easily have caught fire or exploded but she didn’t hesitate in going to the help of Mr Dewey.”

The winners of the LloydsPharmacy National Carers Awards 2016 were announced at a gala awards dinner held at the Millennium Hotel, in Mayfair, on May 26.

Before the ceremony, Mrs Purcell visited 10 Downing Street and met Alistair Burt MP, Minister of State for Community and Social Care, who congratulated her on her award.

The winners were chosen by a panel of five judges, including Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, vice-president of Carers UK and Rachel Carr from the Department of Health.

They were selected from hundreds of nominees.

LloydsPharmacy managing director Cormac Tobin said: “I congratulate Charlotte on winning our Lloyds Pharmacy Caring Colleague of the Year award. I have been humbled and inspired by the amazing work our winners and colleagues do.”

Describing her emergency actions in 2014, Mrs Purcell told The Herald: “I was in the garden with my dog when I saw the engine was stalling and the plane was moving strangely.

“It clipped the top of the trees and realised it had gone into the woods.

“I found the plane upside down and he was bleeding and drifting in and out of consciousness.

“I had to pull off the perspex cockpit cover.

“He tried to pass me out a toolkit and I was trying to keep him calm. He then passed me out a first aid kit.

“He was upside down and he wanted me to cut him out, but I was worried because he could have had neck injuries.

“I stayed with him and just talked to him before the paramedics arrived.”