Castleford man who went into cardiac arrest while on phone to 999 teaches CPR

• Video report by Martin Fisher.

A Castleford man who went into cardiac arrest while on the phone to 999 has been teaching students CPR.

Mark Spedding, an ambulance care assistant, called for help while going into cardiac arrest when he was home alone in Normanton.

When a Yorkshire Ambulance Service worker picked up, they asked whether the patient was breathing.

In response, Mr Spedding, 59, said: "Only just, love. I'm on me own. I think I'm having a heart attack.

"I think I'm going, love. I'm going. I'm going."

The father-of-three was on call for about a minute and managed to give his name, address and symptoms to the call handler before he became unconscious.

Ambulance workers, who were in fact Mr Spedding's colleagues, managed to resuscitate him and he was taken to hospital for further treatment.

He spent two days in an induced coma and was discharged two weeks later.

Mr Spedding has been sharing his experiences about the importance of CPR with students at Penistone Grammar School for Restart a Heart Day.

To mark the day, Yorkshire Ambulance Service visited 172 schools across the region to provide CPR training to more than 35,000 students on Wednesday, 16 October.

One student being taught said: "I think I would know what to do but I would be really nervous. I think this definitely helped in confidence."

Another student said: "It could happen to anyone at any time so it's important to know how to do it."

Associate Vice Principal Katie Crook said: "Maths, English, core subjects, of course we are here to educate and they are super important. But having that skill and understanding to help somebody is just fabulous so we are really proud to do that here at Penistone."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service's Community Engagement Manager, Jason Carlyon, said: "What happens in the first few minutes after someone has suffered a cardiac arrest is vital.

"If bystanders can call 999 and start CPR while sending someone to retrieve the nearest defibrillator, that person's chances of survival can triple.

"We know about three students who took part in Restart a Hear Day last year who have since used CPR to help save the lives of parents which is incredible and really emphasises the important of our campaign and knowing what to do."

Currently in the UK, less than one in ten people survive and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Mr Carlyon said: "If we achieved the same survival rates of countries like Norway, where CPR is taught in schools, an additional 100 lives could be saved each week - the equivalent of approximately 5,000 every year."

In August 2024, Mark, who has worked for the ambulance service for 6 years, was reunited with the colleagues who saved his life.

He said: "It was very emotional, but in a good way. How do you thank the people who have saved your life? No words could ever do it justice.

"We are all human at the end of the day and regardless of the job we do, working to resuscitate someone you know is difficult, but they put that aside and the exceptional care they delivered was just fantastic. I wouldn't be here without them."

Area Operations Manager with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Dwain Longley, said: "Ambulance crews attend patients who are critically unwell every day and while they are highly trained, this still offers its own challenges and difficulties.

"But to attend someone who you know personally and have worked wiath operationally adds its own dynamic. To be able to resuscitate them is an achievement but to be able to meet that individual afterwards and see they have not suffered any lasting detrimental effect is truly an honour for both the crews and patient."

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