A SAUNDERSFOOT triathlete whose life was saved by multiple twists of fate has praised those who stepped in during his hour of need.

Keen amateur triathlete Steven Landrey, 51, was out on a post-lockdown bike ride when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Steven who had been doing a lot of training alone, said: "We were about 40km into an 80km ride when it happened.

"It was strange and lucky as that day, I had met my brother-in-law, Chris, and some friends. I dread to think what would have happened if I would have been alone."

Meanwhile, just a mile or so away was off-duty Welsh Ambulance Service community first responder, Angharad Hodgson, from Martletwy, and her firefighter partner Steve Bradfield, from Narbeth.

The pair were heading to Barfundle Beach to meet friends but had taken a wrong turn.

"We decided to turn back on ourselves, and that's when we saw Steven on the floor being worked on by Chris," said 23-year-old Angharad, who also works for Pembrokeshire County Council's social services team.

Always travelling with their defibrillator and kit, Angharad and Steve, who is also a trained medical responder, were able to pull over swiftly and step in with their life-saving equipment.

"We put the pad on his chest and after about 30 manual chest compressions," said Angharad.

"Steven had stopped breathing and the defibrillator told us we could shock him twice.

"We did it and he came back to us, but his breathing was very sticky, so we continued CPR until the air and land ambulances arrived to take over."

Steven was taken to Swansea's Morriston Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He is now making a good recovery at home and is taking the first steps back to work.

"I can't thank Chris, Angharad, Steve, the air ambulance crew and the paramedics enough, along with the doctors and surgeons at Morriston, they were all amazing," he said.

"I realise everything went my way that day, and for those few hours I was the luckiest man alive but having these trained people in our communities to support emergency medical services is absolutely vital.

"Community first responders like Angharad, CPR training and public access defibrillators really do save lives and are to be respected."

Glyn Thomas, the Welsh Ambulance Service's community first responder officer in mid and west Wales, said: "The prompt actions of Angharad and Steve were no doubt a major factor in the patient's survival.

"Even off-duty as they were, they demonstrated control and organisation - they are both a credit to their communities and organisations."

Angharad became a community first responder in April 2019 after helping out in the aftermath of a terrible car accident on the A40.

"Seeing the work of the paramedics on scene really spurred me on to become a community first responder," she said.

"I'd like to thank Tony Wall who is my CFR co-ordinator for being so supportive and giving so much of his time to fundraise for life saving equipment such as defibrillators in local communities."

Anyone interested in becoming a community first responder with the Welsh Ambulance Service should email: amb_first.responder.central@wales.nhs.uk.