A Droitwich police officer is among those who have been recognised for their life saving actions in performing CPR on a man.

Peter Prendiville was playing hockey at Droitwich Leisure Centre on Sunday 30 November 2024 when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

PC Maria Francolini, along with other trained members of the public and staff at the centre, was instrumental in providing quality CPR compressions to Peter at the scene.

This month, all those involved have been recognised with a Royal Humane Society resuscitation award.

PC Francolini’s Inspector Pete Frankish praised PC Francolini’s actions, saying: “The early use of a defibrillator provided by the football club at the rear of the leisure centre was key in this incident.

“Early quality CPR and use of a defibrillator within minutes of Peter’s collapse also gave him the best chance of survival.

“Maria continued with CPR for 20 minutes while shocks were delivered from the defibrillator.

“Peter regained consciousness and was treated by ambulance staff en route to Worcester Royal Hospital where he was rushed to theatre and treated.”

Peter himself said: “I am recovering well and feel extremely lucky to be alive.

“My family and I are so grateful to all those people who saved my life without hesitation.

“After a phased return to work I am living my life to the full, with only small adjustments to diet. 

“The best take away is that learning CPR to the song “Stayin’ Alive” has so much more significance now.”

Inspector Frankish added: “Each year in Britain around 30,000 people are struck by sudden cardiac arrest outside of hospital environments.

“They can affect anyone at any time – from young children at school, to adults when they’re at home, work or out in public places.

“If victims aren’t treated properly, then often cardiac arrests are fatal.

“The British Heart Foundation’s figures show that only one in ten victims survive. There are a couple of reasons for this figure – namely the lack of education and training.

“This shows just how big of a difference defibrillators (AEDs), alongside effective CPR, make in the survival rate of victims during this critical time, and the steps people are taking to raise awareness of the issue.”

What should you do if sudden cardiac arrest happens?

Inspector Frankish said: “This incident thankfully had a happy outcome, but it is a timely reminder of the importance of keeping up to date with first aid training, knowing the locations of local defibrillators and the codes to release them should they be needed.”