A DAD-of-three is counting his lucky stars after quick-thinking rangers and a Heartstart-trained cyclist saved his life in Tatton Park.

Duty rangers Marks Sills and Adrian Bell were called to an incident at the main gates of Tatton Park just days before Christmas.

Rob Harwood, 51, had collapsed as he entered the park on his bike and was suffering from a cardiac arrest.

Cyclist Robbie Wolfson was already administering chest compressions when the rangers arrived.

Robbie, a dentist from Knutsford, had recently attended a session at Knutsford Heartstart, which is run by Knutsford Community First Responders Trust, and put his newly acquired life-saving skills into action.

On arrival, Mark and Adrian immediately treated Rob with a defibrillator; they managed to restart his heart, enabling him to breathe again, and he was handed into the care of North West ambulance service.

The trio saved Rob’s life and he was able to spend Christmas with his wife and three teenage children at his home in Great Warford.

Michael Jones, Cheshire East Council leader, said: “These council rangers have reacted superbly and very professionally in a life-or-death situation and saved Mr Harwood’s life.

“The result is that this victim of a cardiac arrest was able to survive and spend Christmas with his family – you don’t get a better gift at Christmas than that.

“I am really proud of Mark and Adrian’s actions – and it just goes to show the importance of Cheshire East’s defibrillators and having staff fully trained in their use.

“Well done to both Mark and Adrian, and to Mr Wolfson – and my sincere wishes for a full recovery to Mr Harwood.”

In addition to the defibrillation carried out by the rangers, data was collected during Rob’s treatment on that morning which assisted in determining the possible cause of the arrest and his subsequent treatment at the University Hospital of South Manchester.

Dr Ben Brown, from University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a real success story. If it were not for the swift action of Mark, Adrian and Robbie it could have been very different.

“The quick thinking they showed not only saved Rob's life but has resulted in him making a full recovery and walking home from hospital.

“This highlights the importance of having both equipment and trained personnel in the community. Congratulations to them and best wishes to Rob from all at the trust.”

Rob is now recovering at home but plans to get back on his bike and join Robbie on a cycle ride in the near future.