A boy who crashed into a metal post while riding his bike has been reunited with the paramedic who came to his aid.

Sam Fearon, 11, and his family visited the Great North Air Ambulance base at Langwathy and presented paramedic Terry Sharpe with a cheque for £400.

This was raised by his fellow pupils with a non-uniform day at Flimby School.

Sam was cycling in Flimby when he collided with a metal post in April.

He was left covered in blood and for six hours afterwards kept repeating the same words: “Oh Mum! I've had an accident. I’ve chipped my teeth”.

This prompted fears he had sustained a serious head injury.

Sam’s mother Lindsey Fearon, 38, said: “Sam had swapped bikes with his friend, so he was actually on his friend’s bike when it happened.

There was an issue with the brakes and he couldn’t slow down in time to stop himself from banging his head against the metal post.

“We’re neighbours with a farmer, and his daughter saw Sam and took him inside before ringing his grandma, Margaret Sutton, to tell her what had happened.

“Sam’s friends came to my house and told me where he was."

Sam sustained a small fracture in his nose and swelling, cuts and bruises to his face, as well as a head injury and chipped teeth.

Mrs Fearon said: “His face was a mess, and he was covered in blood. He had a concussion.

“Luckily, his grandma is an ex-nurse so she knew what to do and looked after him.”

Sam was assessed and treated by the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s paramedic and doctor team before the charity flew him to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, accompanied by his mum.

He had a chest X-ray and a CT scan which thankfully came back clear. However, he spent over a week recovering from his facial injuries at home before returning to school. Shortly afterwards he got back on his bike.

Mrs Fearon said: “I can’t thank GNAAS enough, the crew provide a brilliant service and I’m so glad they were there for us.”

After meeting Mr Sharpe, Sam said: “I can’t remember being in the helicopter the first time, so it was good seeing it and getting to sit inside it too.”

Last year GNAAS responded to 1042 call-outs and needed to raise £5.1m.