THREE of the region's bravest children were given awards at a star-studded ceremony yesterday.

The Woman's Own Children of Courage awards, which are in their 30th year, honour children who have shown bravery in the face of adversity and illness.

Twelve winners from around the country were selected by a panel of judges to receive prizes from celebrities at Westminster Abbey. They also got to meet the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at Downing Street.

Among the winners were Rachael Mawdsley, 12, and sister Emma, 11, from Ripon, North Yorkshire, who led seven children to safety from their smoke-filled home.

The girls had taken a fire safety course, which taught them how to react in the potentially fatal situation.

Their father, Paul, a Royal Engineer with the 38 Engineer Regiment, was travelling back from Iraq when the fire, caused by a faulty television, started.

He said: ''My daughters are brilliant. I am really proud.

''They said they panicked, but they got everybody out and outside and it was only when they were safe away from the house they really realised what had happened.''

Shay Corrie, nine, from Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, was also at the ceremony with his mother, Judith.

Shay suffered severe head injuries when he saved his five-year-old playmate, Jack Briggs, from taking the direct impact of a lorry.

The accident happened as the pair crossed a road and saw the lorry coming towards them. Shay stood between his friend and the vehicle and wrapped his arms around the young boy.

Mrs Corrie said: 'Shay's a lovely natured kid, and saving Jack is just something he would not give a second thought to.

''He cannot recall the accident and he is never going to be 100 per cent. He is still receiving treatment and is on medication, but we are so proud of him."

The accident left Shay with a zig-zag scar on his head, just like his hero, Harry Potter.