A WOMAN has been reunited with the first aiders who saved her life a year after she was taken ill at a jazz festival.

When Maggie Eley, aged 78, was taken ill at the 2015 Pershore Jazz Festival, she was looked after by local volunteers Adam Hoskins and Tomas Davies.

They found that she had a serious heart problem that needed immediate treatment.

One year on Mrs Eley returned to the festival to say thank you to the men who saved her life.

Mr Hoskins said: "We generally don’t see people again once we’ve treated them, but it was great to see Maggie – especially as she’s looking so well.

"She was a patient where we had to pull out all the stops to convince her to have treatment, because she didn’t want any fuss.

"Maggie had passed out three times at the event, and had several episodes prior to the festival, but hadn’t seen a healthcare professional. It was our intervention that made the difference."

The first aiders were initially called to a report of a fall. When they reached Mrs Eley, she said she wanted to go home, but the first aiders convinced her to have some tests to check her condition further.

Using their cardiac monitor, they discovered her heart had an irregular rhythm and sent her to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester where she had further treatment.

Mrs Eley later underwent surgery to correct the problem and, at this year’s Pershore Jazz Festival, she sought out Adam and Tomas to say thanks for looking after her.

Mr Hoskins said: "We received a cheque from Maggie’s husband, Bob, with a note saying 'Thank you for saving my wife’s life'.

"It’s humbling, and very nice for a former patient to come and see us.

"It always seems funny to say, 'We saved a life'. We’re part of a team, but we genuinely helped Maggie that day.

"The consequences could have been disastrous if we hadn’t persuaded her to seek further medical help."

Mrs Eley of Modbury, south Devon has been to the festival for the last nine years – travelling to the Midlands with Bob in the camper van they bought on retirement from the soft furnishings business they ran together.

She said: "We are forever grateful for the assistance of the lovely people from St John Ambulance and we’ll continue to support the charity with further donations.

"I’ve been telling all my friends how lucky I was that the charity’s volunteers were on hand to take care of me that night.

"I’d felt faint in the past and always thought I just needed some fresh air – I had no idea there was anything wrong with me."

For more information on St John Ambulance’s work, including how to become a volunteer and details of training for the public, schools and businesses, visit www.sja.org.uk or call 08700 10 49 50.