WHILE his friends head for the youth club after school, 11-year-old Chris Brazier goes straight home.

He looks after his mum, Charlotte, every day after school until his dad, John, gets home from work.

As one of Britain's hidden army of carers, he often has to miss out on after-school activities and fun with friends to make sure his mum is all right.

But yesterday he was named as a winner of the Caring Face of Britain competition, run by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers.

Of six national winners, only two were children.

At a ceremony in London, Chris was given a certificate by Princess Anne.

He said: "When I met the Princess it was very nerve-wracking and my hands were shaking."

Charlotte, 35, suffers from epilepsy and neurological dysfunction.

She became ill nine years ago and her family has had to cope with her condition, which often causes her to lose mobility, concentration or become clumsy.

Chris, of Hughes Way, Uckfield, helps do the chores and cares for her if she is unwell or collapses.

For 18 months his dad, a Debenhams concessions manager, has worked in London and is out from 6.30am to 7.30pm, leaving Chris in charge.

More than once, the Uckfield Community College pupil has had to call an ambulance after his mum had a seizure and, when he was just six, he had to put her in the recovery position, kept her airways open and stayed with her until an ambulance crew arrived.

Chris said: "Looking after mum has just become part of my life, although it is a big responsibility.

"I do get fed up sometimes, but I feel it's my job.

"Caring means looking after a special mum and loving her to bits."

For Charlotte and John, 34, their son's efforts cannot be rewarded enough.

Charlotte works when she can for the British Red Cross as a volunteer and is determined to be as normal a mum as possible.

She said: "Chris is my lifeline, but I do get cross that he is losing some of his childhood. Sometimes we are more like patient and nurse and that's not what it should be."

John, who nominated his son for the award, said: "I'm so proud of Chris. He deserves it."

The family was treated to a luxury break in London as part of Chris's prize.

Presenter Anthea Turner, actress Pam Ferris and journalist Nigella Lawson were at the lunch to congratulate the winners.

The other child honoured was Laura Beeston 13, of Cleveland, who cares for her mother, Penny,

who has rheumatoid

arthritis, and her father, Graham, who is

wheelchair-bound after breaking his neck.

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