ST JOHN Ambulance is looking for a cyclist who was revived by a life saving shock to the heart during a ride through the Cotswolds.

The man was believed to be on the return leg of a group ride from Swindon to Broadway when he collapsed as he was cycling up the steep Dyers Lane out of Chipping Campden, towards the A44 Fish Hill, on Saturday, March 29.

Luckily for him, friends Katie Nightingale and Gemma Guedes stopped to help and, recalling there were Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at the nearby Farncombe Estate, volunteered to get the life saving equipment.

They drove the two miles to the estate’s lodge where Tony Haines, a security supervisor at Farncombe, was waiting. As an experienced St John Ambulance volunteer, Tony travelled back with them to see if he could help.

“When I got there, one of the cyclists – a GP – was still giving the man cardio-pulmonary resuscitation so I explained I was a first aider and could assist,” said Tony.

“We gave the man a single shock and his heart restarted. Within a few minutes he was talking. It was amazing.”

The man, believed to be in his late 40s or 50s, was taken to Worcester Royal Infirmary coronary care unit, who confirmed that without the defibrillator he would not have survived.

Following the rescue, the first aid charity is hoping to talk to him about his experience.

“Incidents like this highlight the vital importance of people knowing first aid and having access to life saving equipment,” said St John Ambulance’s PR officer, Dave Shuttleworth.

“We recognise people who use first aid skills to be the difference between lives lost and saved through our Everyday Heroes awards. It would be wonderful to speak to the patient and see if he would like the work of Katie, Gemma and Tony or his fellow cyclist acknowledged.”

The contact email is dave@cakepublicity.co.uk.