A QUICK-THINKING group whose actions saved a man's life have been rewarded for their heroics.

Three North Yorkshire Police officers and two members of the public have been presented with awards from the Royal Humane Society after saving the life of Harry King when he collapsed in Great Ayton last July.

Inspector Jon Grainge was off duty when he spotted Mr King on the ground receiving CPR.

Insp Grainge said: “I was driving to visit family in the village when I saw Mr King laid on a patch of grass with a group of people gathered round and a member of the public performing CPR.

"It turned out that this was Matthew Van Loo, an experienced cardiac nurse who had also been driving past.

"I quickly parked up and went over to help, continuing with CPR.

“Matthew and I both continued CPR and were soon joined by constables Michael Wilson and Lisa Jones.

"A passing cyclist, Lee Read, was then able to travel the 500 metres or so to the nearest community defibrillator which we successfully used and by this time, the paramedics had arrived.”

Mr King was then taken by ambulance to James Cook Hospital where he made a full recovery.

The medical staff said that if he had not received the prompt treatment from those giving CPR, along with the use of the defibrillator, then he would not have survived.

Mr King and his family expressed their sincere gratitude for the actions of those who helped to save his life.

Mr King said: “There’s not much I can really say apart from a sincere thank you to everyone involved on the day.

"A lot of people wouldn’t have had the chance to say a personal thank you and it means a lot to be able to do that.

“Apparently I ended up with eight broken ribs from the CPR which is a good thing because it means it was strong enough to have the desired effect. I never thought I’d be saying thank you to anyone for breaking my ribs. It’s a miracle that I’m still here today.”

This week Chief Constable, Lisa Winward presented the group with their awards and said: “We are incredibly proud of the actions taken by our officers and members of the public which resulted in Mr King’s life being saved and would like to praise everyone involved.

“The fact that a defibrillator was available nearby goes to show how vital these resources are to local communities and how important it is to support fundraising for them in your area."

Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society said everyone involved played a major role in bringing Mr King 'back from the brink of death'.