Two Longsands Academy students have been praised after they helped a man who had collapsed in the street.

Jacob Crawshaw, 16, and Owen Thomas, 15, were both walking home from school on October 12 when they saw the man fall to the floor in St Neots High Street.

Jacob, who is in Year 11, and Owen, who is in Year 10, both ran over to the man, believed to be in his eighties, to help him off the floor and to see if he needed any help.

Jacob, from St Neots, said: “The man was walking along with a zimmer frame and suddenly collapsed. Owen was closer to him than I was and started to help him and then I sprinted over to see if he was okay.

“Luckily he was and we managed to help him off the ground. There weren’t many people around so I knew that he needed our help which is why I ran over.”

A lady who was walking past and saw the pair help the man called Longsands Academy to praise the two boys for what they had done and how quick they had both acted.

The woman told the school that she ‘couldn’t praise their actions enough’ and that they should be recognised for their willingness to help.

It is not believed that the man was seriously hurt.

Jacob said: “I was quite shocked when I was told that someone had called in to say that they wanted to praise us. I think anyone in our position would have done the same thing and really don’t think that we needed to be praised.

“I would hope that anyone would have done what we did and helped the man. When I went home and told my parents they were both proud of me and were even more pleased when a lady called in to school to praise us.”

Jacob and Owen were commended for their actions by Longsands principal Martin Paine.