A mum was on the brink of a panic attack after she and her son got lost deep into the woods when a Good Samaritan came to their rescue.
Leanne Pate and her son Theo were terrified after two hours of being stuck in Formby Pine Woods on the Merseyside coast after a family day at the beach, and began to fear the worst.
Leanne, from Wigan, and eight year-old Theo had been enjoying a kick about on the beach before venturing into the woods, but the two quickly found themselves lost.
After walking around for two hours without signal or water, she stumbled upon a woman who realising how upset Leanne was, helped her back to the car park, Liverpool ECHO reports.
Leanne said: "After about five minutes in the woods I said to my son that we should turn back but we came out of the woods and I did not recognise it at all.
"I asked someone where the main car park was and when I got there it was not the place I had parked.
"I kept asking people but it was turning into an absolute nightmare I was going further and further into the woods, the trees were getting higher.
"I had no reception on my phone or water. I must have asked about 15 different people."
The problem for Leanne was she given directions to the Lifeboat Road car park but she had parked in the National Trust car park.
The 41-year-old said that she was close to having a panic attack and was "hiding tears" from her son, when she met Elaine.
Leanne added: "I was shaking with panic, I was lost and just did not know how I was going to get back.
"I stopped Elaine and she could see I was in tears. She just said she would walk me back.
"It took about 40 minutes but she walked us all the way back to the car park and if I had not found her I don't know what I would have done.
"I was grateful and she said she would not have been able to sleep if she had not helped me.
"I just hope she sees this and I want to say give her a massive thank you.
"I hope she knows how grateful I am and what an amazing person she is."
