A man whose life was saved in Letchworth by members of the public, an off-duty paramedic and a police officer has since met up with those who helped him in his hour of need.

In early May, Marco Desider was on Grange Road, heading to the railway station to meet family, when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

He was discovered on the floor unresponsive by Claire Leverington and her partner Clayton Garrick.

They were joined by David Williams and off-duty paramedic Rob Allmey.

Rob started CPR, while 999 was being dialled and Clayton went to get a defibrillator from First Garden City Homes.

David took over the CPR, while Rob got his medical equipment out. Rob opened Marco's airway and delivered breaths to support the CPR in progress.

A GoodSam alert was answered by PC Callum Ellis who was at Letchworth Police Station just starting a shift. He drove to Grange Road and took over the CPR until other paramedics arrived. Clayton returned with the defibrillator, and it was used on Marco.

Marco's pulse was restored, and he was taken to hospital for treatment. During his time at hospital, he had a quadruple by-pass and returned home at the beginning of June to continue his recovery and enjoy watching the Euros.

On Friday 28 June, Marco met with PC Ellis, Rob, David and Claire.

Marco said: "I struggle to find the right words to express how deeply grateful I am to each of them. When I suffered a cardiac arrest, their quick thinking, skill, and selflessness saved my life.

"They gave me the greatest gift anyone could give; more time with my loved ones, more moments to cherish, and a future I almost lost.

"Thank you for being my heroes. I will never forget what you did for me, and I will carry this profound gratitude with me every day. With all my heart, thank you."

PC Ellis, added: "We are truly thankful that David, Claire and Clayton stopped to help Marco, without them he would not be here today with us.

"It is not often we get to share the good work that members of the public do for us in the emergency services. I am very pleased to see Marco back on his feet and we are all very grateful to the paramedics who came to assist in his ongoing treatment to hospital.

"GoodSam is an application used by the ambulance service which notifies any emergency service personnel that someone is having a medical episode in their nearby area.

"It is a fantastic tool to have as we can be administering first aid or even CPR prior to the ambulance arriving, giving the patient the best possible chance of recovery."