A Stourbridge postman who saved the life of a pensioner using CPR has been recognised for his quick-thinking with an award.
Dan Howells with members of S Club 7 at the British Heart Foundation event where he was awarded for his heroic actions
Postman Dan Howells said it was "right time, right place" when he saved the life of Darryl Taylor at the Royal Mail Stourbridge Delivery Office in November of last year.
Recalling the day he saved Darryl's life, the 42-year-old said things had started off "normal" as he was sorting through mail in the office.
Darryl had come into the office to collect a parcel, but was in the wrong part of the building, so Dan had pointed him in the right direction.
Moments later, Darryl's wife, Anne, sought help after finding her husband had collapsed to the ground.
Dan learnt CPR when he was a football coach more than a decade ago and successfully used the life-saving skill to restore Darryl's breathing before the ambulance arrived around 15 minutes later.
In recognition of his quick thinking, Dan was named a CPR Hero at the British Heart Foundation's Heart Hero Awards ceremony on December 6.
The Royal Mail employee travelled to London for the event, which had a star-studded guest list including Pippa Middleton, Vernon Kay and David Seaman.
Dan said: "I am proud of what I did and that Darryl is still here to tell the story - he’s had another Christmas, another birthday because of me.
"It was just right time, right place but you never know what is going to happen or what’s round the corner and it has made me realise how important CPR training is, and that learning this easy skill really could save someone’s life."
Dan met with Darryl shortly after the life-saving incident in an "emotional" reunion.
Dan Howells at the Heart Hero Awards
Speaking about their first meeting, Dan said: "It was really emotional but it’s nice that I have been able to make sure he’s okay, it’s put my mind at rest.
"We speak to each other every month now just to catch up and see how each other are getting on."
Greg Sage, deputy director or corporate affairs and environmental, social and corporate governance at Royal Mail, said: "We are incredibly proud of Dan and this award is fitting recognition of his quick-thinking actions that saved Darryl’s life.
"The CPR skills Dan learnt 15 years ago have proved priceless. Effective use of CPR and a defibrillator can more than double the chances of survival in some cases.
"That is why, across the course of our partnership with the British Heart Foundation, we are aiming to train 100,000 of our colleagues in this lifesaving skill. Together our goal is to protect heart health and save lives in our communities."
Isabelle Kidder, British Heart Foundation (BHF) survival programme delivery manager, expressed her pride at Dan's actions.
She said: "All of us here at the British Heart Foundation are really proud of Dan – he is so deserving of the CPR Hero award he won at our Heart Hero Awards. Dan’s actions using CPR to help save Darryl’s life demonstrate why this is such an important skill to learn.
"You never know when you might need to be that person who steps up to help save a life of a stranger or even a loved one and we would urge anyone who hasn’t learned this skill yet to visit the BHF website to find out how."
The charity hosts its Heart Hero Awards each year in recognition of those who have gone above and beyond to help others whilst coping with the impact of heart disease.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at the BHF, added: "I’m blown away by the incredible stories of our winners who have shown such courage, resilience, and bravery in the face of heart and circulatory disease.
"These awards are truly heart-warming and make me so proud to be part of Team BHF. Thank you to our judges, hosts, celebrity guests and supporters for creating such a magical evening for the BHF and the heroes we celebrated.
"We hope the awards inspire others to take action against heart and circulatory diseases - by learning CPR, fundraising, or even donating unwanted goods to one of our stores.
"Our heart heroes are among the 7.6 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases. This Christmas, our research is a gift that keeps on living, helping to keep families together and hearts beating for Christmases to come."
To find out more about the awards ceremony, visit bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-we-celebrate-our-supporters/heart-hero-awards.
