THE teamwork of a life saving group in Broadway who rescued a cyclist after he suffered collapsed in Fish Hill were praised by TV doctor Hilary Jones as he presented them with a national award.

The group of three that saved the life of Alastair Stagg near the Farncombe Estate in March were given the lifesaving award by the Sudden Adult Death Trust, SADS UK, on Saturday (Oct 18) night.

Tony Haines, security supervisor at the estate, and his former work colleagues, Katie Field and Gemma Guedes, were presented with the National Defibrillator Lifesaver award at the Royal College of Nursing in London.

Mr Haines said: "I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. Hilary Jones congratulated the three of us and we had a great day in London. We were just responding to an emergency and didn’t expect to get all this attention."

It was Mr Haines who used a defibrillator from the estate to re-start the heart of 48-year-old Alastair Stagg when he collapsed in March and was spotted by Mrs Field and Mrs Guedes.

They were driving in the area when they spotted Alastair in difficulty, surrounded by his cyclist friends.

As an experienced St John’s Ambulance volunteer, Mr Haines was trained to use the AED and the first shock he gave Mr Stagg brought him round.

Mr Stagg, who has now been fitted with an internal defibrillator, also attended the awards ceremony.

“It was truly teamwork that brought about the successful resuscitation of Alastair Stagg,” said Anne Jolly founder of SADS UK.

"It was lovely to meet Tony, Katie and Gemma who had all worked together to save Alastair’s life. We were proud to be honouring them with Lifesaver Awards on this special evening.

“Dr Hilary Jones spoke of how glad he was to see people working together in this stressful situation and lives being saved using CPR and the defibrillator.”

Mr Haines has also been nominated for an Excellence in the Community Award from the West Midlands Ambulance Service, which will be presented in November by Dr Tim Watts, High Sheriff of the West Midlands.

For more information about SADS contact Anne Jolly on 01277 811215 or info@sadsuk.org.