Two RNLI crewmen in Holyhead have been praised for saving the life of a man who suffered a cardiac arrest.

Jonathan Whalley was preparing his boat for a last sail of the summer season on August 28th when he suddenly collapsed.

He was given CPR by a relative who shouted for help - and a member of the public ran into the nearby RNLI shop where coxswain Mark Wade and mechanic Jack Lee were called into action, along with a local businessman.

Mark said: "It was a normal afternoon at the station. We’d finished an audit and were having a debrief, and we were alerted to the fact a gentleman had collapsed with suspected cardiac arrest."

"After dashing across, we carried out CPR straight away, and made an assessment - and requested the helicopter and any other service nearby for support."

"We had Mark Francis from Francis Marine with us, and between us all we managed to keep the gentleman going, giving him every chance. It took three shocks from the defibrillator to bring the gentleman back to life, as when we first arrived, he was not responding with any signs of life at all."

The Wales Air Ambulance and an ambulance crew arrived to take Mr Whalley straight to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

He was eventually released later after being placed into an induced coma for two days, before being fitted with a pacemaker and an internal defribillator. 

Last Monday, Mr Whalley was well enough to return to the lifeboat station at Holyhead to say thank you to the two volunteer crewmen.

He said: "I can’t thank you enough for your expertise, and if it wasn’t for your prompt action, I wouldn’t be here today. Without a doubt, I owe my life to you, and I will always be so grateful."

"In a way, I was so incredibly lucky that it happened where it did, with people nearby who were calm and knew what to do, and with all the necessary equipment so close."

"I had no pain, no warning, and I don’t remember anything at all of that day. I hear it was quite exciting at the time – but obviously I wasn’t aware of it at all."

Mark added: "All in all, it was good day at the office, as they say, with a man’s life being saved within our community. Without the defibrillator being in place at our station, it may have been a very different outcome."

"It was a privilege to see Mr Whalley back on his feet, with his wife, and in such a short time after his incident. The fact, as a station, we have the defibrillator to hand – not just for us, but also the community we serve – says it all."

Mechanic Jack said: "It just goes to show that not all shouts happen at sea."

The station has invited Mr Whalley and his wife back to the station for their annual get-together in October, while more crew are due to be trained in giving casualty care by the RNLI, which retains its defribillator on the wall of the station shop.

Mark said: "Along with the presence of the defibrillator, his will keep the station available for the community whenever help is needed."