A WOMAN'S tribute to her dead husband has saved the life of another man.

Helen Pickford began fundraising for a defibrillator, along with her family and friends, after her husband Mark died of a heart attack at the age of 48.

They paid for three defibrillators to be installed in Aireborough - and one has just been used to save the life of a man who went into cardiac arrest.

Trevor Hopton says he would have died if it hadn't been for the defibrillator and the quick thinking passers-by who came to his aid.

Mr Hopton collapsed within yards of the recently-installed equipment on January 19. Now out of hospital and recovering at home he is thanking everyone who kept him alive.

He described how the nearby defibrillator was used to save his life when he went into sudden cardiac arrest opposite the Woolpack pub near the JCT roundabout.

"I was out cycling with a friend, we had stopped at the traffic lights at this location, I suddenly collapsed and fell to the floor, my friend and another person put me in the recovery position but my breathing was becoming very shallow," he said.

"A group of people were now around me and a lady called for an ambulance. The quick thinking of two people saved my life.

"A passer by named Andrew just happened to be an ex army bloke with first aid training.

Then a car stopped and a gentleman got out called Phillip. He was an off duty ICU consultant working at St James hospital. He performed CPR because I had stopped breathing.

"The lady who phoned the ambulance accessed the defibrillator on the wall of the Woolpack pub across the road and brought this to Phillip who was doing CPR."

Mr Hopton had to be shocked three times before his heart began beating again. He was then taken to Leeds General Infirmary.

He said: "All the hospital medical team say that time is critical in that situation, had it not been for some very kind people and the community defibrillator near by I would not be here today sharing this with you and my family."

Mrs Pickford, whose husband died in December 2017, said: "We started out wanting to do something in memory of Mark that wasn’t just planting a tree or something like that and so we thought raising funds for a new defibrillator was the one way it would give us that something a bit more special.

"Little did we know when we started our 'walking with love in our hearts' group on Facebook how popular it would be and how so many people got behind us to raise enough for the three CPADs (community public access defibrillators), and it goes to show how many people feel they are an important part of our community.

"To say we feel proud that we have actually helped in the process of saving Trevor`s life is an understatement."

The Global CPAD Campaign was launched five years ago by Guiseley man Brian Firth. Since then it has installed 117 public access defibrillators and saved six lives

Mr Firth said: "The Campaign has caught the imagination of numerous individuals and groups who have raised funds to expand the scheme, giving Aireborough and parts of Wharfedale probably the best coverage of defibrillators than any other community nationwide."

Anyone who want to run a sub campaign in their community should contact Mr Firth on 07909660375.