Cyclist saved by two urges others to get life-saving training

Josh Lancaster, of Valley Gardens, Findon Valley, was cycling to work on March 5 last year when he collapsed in the middle of Tarring Road, Worthing, by the junction with Heene Road. It was caused by an inherited heart condition Josh has called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. “A lot of people don’t know they have it until something like this happens, and it is better to be prepared than be clueless,” Josh said. Gill Hobden, 50, a neonatal nurse at Worthing Hospital of Rugby Road, Worthing, and Trevor Peters, 50, a network engineer of The Green, Storrington, were passing when Josh collapsed and performed the first aid which saved his life. They have received bravery awards from the Royal Humane Society, a charity that grants awards for acts of bravery in the saving of human life – after a recommendation from Josh’s dad, Tony. Trevor had been driving his wife into town when he spotted Josh collapsed in the middle of the road. He said: “Cars were just driving around him – I could see he was in a bad stuation and was getting progessively worse so I gave him mouth-to-mouth CPR and this is when Gill ran over and started giving him chest compressions. “It made me realise that the first aid training I had was not a waste of time. The whole time I kept questioning if I was doing the right thing but I am glad I did something – if not who knows what might have happened.” Gill had been walking her daughter to work at the time. She said: “He was unresponsive so I knew what I needed to do.” The pair said they were ‘proud’ to receive the awards and reiterated the importance of first aid. Trevor said: “Companies nominate first aiders but usually this is only two people – they should force more people to train.” A former keen cyclist, the 31-year-old controlled the heart condition with medication which he said has now had an ‘adverse effect’ on his life. He said: “It is very difficult now and I am not able to do anything strenuous.” But he has now had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator fitted which he hopes will allow him to return to the sport. “I am very thankful to Gill and Trevor – it takes a special person to stop and do something,” he added. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.