Heroic employees at Bert Williams Leisure Centre saved the life of a customer who collapsed after suffering a heart attack.

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Duty manager Bill Sheargold and colleagues Chris Peake and Laura Guest used a defibrillator to get 65 year old Dave Penzer's heart beating again in the crucial minutes before the ambulance arrived.

He had collapsed suddenly in September this year after his regular game of squash and his playing partner raised the alarm.

The lifesaving trio have received an ambulance service commendation for their actions.

Bill immediately began administering first aid and performed mouth to mouth resuscitation without waiting for a protective plastic mouth guard to arrive. Laura operated the defibrillator and Chris performed chest compressions.

Mr Penzer is now well on the road to recovery. An emotional reunion between Mr Penzer and the lifesavers took place at Bert Williams on Tuesday (11 November).

Mr Penzer said: "I am so indebted to them, they saved my life and had they not have been there then it could have been a very different outcome. I am full of praise for their quick actions and professionalism - what they saw must have been very traumatic for them. It has restored my faith in human nature."

Bill Sheargold said: "Seeing Dave again with a big smile on his face and looking so well is a very special feeling. It is beyond words really the emotions I'm feeling. We were trained to deal with what we did - but it very different to do it in real life rather than on a dummy in the classroom."

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  • released: Wednesday 12 November, 2014