A MAN whose heart stopped beating in his local pub has been reunited with the regulars and London Ambulance staff who saved his life.

Roger Cornish, 54 of Prospect Road in Woodford Green, went into cardiac arrest while unwinding with a pint in The Cricketers pub, in the High Road, back in January.

Quick-thinking punters rushed to his aid and regular Cher Clarke started giving Roger CPR while others called for an ambulance.

Last week, Mr Cornish returned to the pub to thank the people whose actions mean he is still alive today to tell the tale.

He said: "I can’t remember anything of the day, just waking up in hospital a few days later.

"I’ve never had any problems with my heart before and there’s no history in family, so I’m glad that when this did happen there were people there who knew what to do.

"It’s great to meet up with everyone and get the chance to say ‘thank you’.

"If it wasn’t for these people I wouldn’t be here now."

Mrs Clarke, of Chingford Lane, said: "I turned around to see Roger collapsed against the window. I’ve never taken any first-aid courses, but I’ve always had a book with instructions for basic life support, and I could see that Roger needed help straight away.

"He wasn’t breathing and I knew that he must be his heart. I got some other locals to put him on his back and we started to give him chest compressions and the kiss of life."

Walthamstow-based paramedic Graham Howes was first on the scene in a fast response car.

He said: "When I arrived I found Cher and another regular giving Roger cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which effectively kept the blood pumping around his body while an ambulance was on the way.

"We gave Roger’s heart two electric shocks with a defibrillator and his heartbeat returned. Early access to a defibrillator greatly increases someone’s chance of survival if they suffer a cardiac arrest.

"When we carried Roger out of the pub with his heart beating again everyone cheered like the winning goal had been scored at Wembley!"

Mr Cornish was rushed to Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, where he was fitted with a heart defibrillator, before being released two weeks later.

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating and the person loses consciousness, and is not the same as a heart attack, which is when a clot in a major artery stops the flow of blood to the heart.

Any members of the public interested in free CPR training should call 020 7783 2534 or email resustraining@lond-amb.nhs.uk.