Award for heroes who saved life of collapsed player at Harborough Town Football Club

A footballer who collapsed on the pitch owes his life to a team of air cadets who raced to his aid.

The 20-year-old player collapsed and stopped breathing during the match earlier this year at Harborough Town Football Club.

But trainee paramedic Patrick Evans received an alert on the GoodSam app – which allows those calling emergency services to share their location – of a cardiac arrest happening nearby.

He and fellow Royal Air Force Air Cadets Helen Greaves and two others who cannot be named are based at a nearby squadron and went to assist, arriving before paramedics. They used a defibrillator and shocked the player while also giving CPR to restart his heart.

Trainee paramedic Patrick also discovered the player had been hit in the head during a tackle earlier in the week and had suffered an electric shock the previous week.

He was taken to hospital and went on to survive the ordeal.

Helen, Patrick and the two other cadets (who cannot be identified) have now been awarded Royal Humane Society Resuscitation Certificates, which honours bravery in saving a human life.

Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: “They were certainly the right people in the right place at the right time. They knew what to do and as a result the player was brought back to life.

“They did a magnificent job with some superb team work. They richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”

Helen Grieves from Welford told the Mail: “As volunteers with the RAF Air Cadets, we receive invaluable first aid training which allowed us to take over CPR from a club member who is a local lifeguard, and administer intervention with a defibrillator.

“As a result of our combined efforts, we were able to restart the casualty’s heart by the time first responders, paramedics and doctors arrived. We are delighted to have been able to assist, and firmly believe that this is due to the speed at which the club members acted in calling the emergency services and starting CPR.”