A BRAVE boy who rescued his family from a house fire could pick up a bravery award at a national awards ceremony.

The British Red Cross heard how eight-year-old Ben Dowling alerted his family on his birthday as smoke filled their home in Higher Fold, Leigh, and decided he deserved recognition for his quick-thinking.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: "We read about Ben in The Journal and we think he could be a winner."

The Higher Fold County Primary School pupil will now be nominated for the Caring Crisis Award which recognises people who have carried out acts of bravery and compassion.

Ben saved the life of his mother Lynne, sister Terri-Anne, five, and 16-year-old brother Ryan in June this year.

He was asleep upstairs at their semi-detached house on Balmoral Drive in the early hours when the smell of smoke woke him up.

He quickly alerted his brother, who was sleeping in the same room and he then shouted his mother and sister.

When the fire service arrived they were all safely gathered on the street outside. The crews managed to put the blaze out, but the kitchen was badly damaged . A leading fireman at the time said it could have been a tragedy if it was not for Ben.

It is believed a cooker burst into flames after it had been left on over-night.

Ben could now travel to York for the regional final in September and then onto London for a glitzy ceremony full of celebrities.