A MAN whose life was saved by his wife after he suffered a cardiac arrest is back home with his family.

John Goldthorp, 60, is making a good recovery after he came close to death following a cricket match at Pool-in-Wharfedale Sports and Social Club on Saturday.

He was saved by his wife Andrea who used a defibrillator to restart her husband's heart. She was helped by other club members, including two off-duty police officers, who performed CPR.

Now the family have spoken of the desperate battle to save John's life after he collapsed in front of his wife and his son Robbie.

They said: "The rest of the family found the whole experience traumatic, especially Andrea and Robbie who were present when John collapsed. Memories of how lucky John was and how different it could have been as 999 didn’t pick up for 11.5 minutes. We were so lucky as Pool Sports and Social Club was open and the manager had the code for the defibrillator box.

"Andrea is desperate to find another way of getting the codes for defibrillators when 999 are so slow to respond. Andrea is a PE/maths teacher at Guiseley School where, in the PSHE module she also teaches First Aid to year 9 students, including CPR and using a Defibrillator. The message is - anyone can use a defibrillator, all you have to do is open the box and follow instructions."

John said he had spent three nights in hospital where he had a stent fitted and was treated for dehydration. He said since returning home he had felt remarkably well - apart from his broken ribs, which the consultant told him were inevitable if CPR was performed correctly. He said he had done some light walking and was feeling stronger everyday - and was finding it hard to do as he was told and take it easy.

John's daughter Katy Goldthorp is planning to raise money to buy a defibrillator to help save more lives.

Katy, 28, a teacher at Girlington Primary School in Bradford, said: "Following the events of last week, we are incredibly grateful for the people who have set up the CPAD in our local Pool community. We are really keen to support other local communities so that they have the same chance as my dad was given last week. We have challenged ourselves to walk the 3 Peaks on August 3rd to continue raising funds for another new defibrillator."

Help raise £1800 to help Katy reach her goal of funding a new Community Public Access Defibrillator in gratitude to the fact that her father was saved by one.

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/brian-firth-482?utm_term=25Xm3nNp7&fbclid=IwAR1-j9BX3758Qyzz8zGJzs2FZyWhNm9Bboq4cl5WvKLmsB6oaA_s570jJE0 to donate.

The defibrillator was installed at the club in 2017 after a fundraising effort by people including Otley and Yeadon councillor Ryk Downes, whose own life had been saved thanks to passers-by who used a defibrillator to help him.

Last week week Mrs Goldthorp said: “The Goldthorp family feel that John is the luckiest man alive. To have a defibrillator at Pool Social Club when John collapsed at the end of of Saturday's cricket game was invaluable.

“We are eternally indebted to the Global CPAD Campaign and all those involved in keeping the defibrillators in excellent working order.”

Mr Goldthorp is the ninth person to have been saved thanks to the Global CPAD Campaign, which was launched by Brian Firth in 2013 to raise funds for Community Public Access Defibrillators.

Mr Firth said: “I started the Global CPAD Campaign in 2013 following the death of a customer at Morrisons Supermarket in Guiseley. At that time there were no CPADs within 7 miles of Guiseley.

“The prime objective of the campaign was to potentially save a life in the future by having a CPAD available to members of the public 24/7. I am pleased to say that we now have 42 CPADs installed throughout Aireborough with dozens of others installed around the Leeds and Wharfedale area, even extending up to Northumberland. 24 CPADs have now been installed in the Otley area alone in conjunction with our satellite Campaign, Otley Defibrillators.

“However, it is not the number of CPADs installed that is amazing, it is the fact that 9 lives have now been saved directly from the use of a campaign defibrillator, including one of those belonging to Otley Defibrillators.