A 12-year-old girl has thanked her friend for sacrificing a school trip to France to take her to hospital.

Natasha Ward, who lives in Park Farm, Ashford, stayed at her friend Maddie Wilmshurst’s house in Willesborough on Sunday night so they would be close to the North School, where a bus was picking them up at 7am on Monday to take them on a day trip to Bolougne.

But as they were walking to the bus, Natasha trod on a rusty nail which went through her shoe, into her foot and close to the bone.

They phoned Natasha’s dad Nigel Ward who was at work in Broadstairs.

As Mr Ward was an hour’s drive away, they called an ambulance and Maddie stayed with her injured friend, meaning she missed the trip to France.

Mr Ward said: “I’m so grateful that Maddie stayed with her. She had her camera, spending money and everything packed.

“The rest of the Year 7 pupils were going and they had been really looking forward to it. It was a tremendous sacrifice to make.”