WALKERS have praised rescuers and stressed the importance of first aid training after one of their group collapsed on a remote lane – prompting his partner to jump in and start lifesaving resuscitation.

A small number of the Dorset Group of the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) set off on a 15-mile trek from Bridport.

They had just passed through Pymore and were on their way to Dottery when one of the walkers, Mike, 73, suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed.

His partner, Deirdre, started CPR while others rang 999 and watched for traffic. He ended up being airlifted to hospital.

Robin Britton, who was on the walk, said: “The call handler was very calm and asked me to count out loud with her to give chest compressions, keeping going until professional help arrived. A lady cyclist and a farmer with her son helped to stop traffic.

“Within 10 minutes the Bridport First Responders were on the scene and we could hand over the CPR to them. Five minutes later, two ambulances had also appeared and almost immediately after that, the air ambulance came overhead and landed in the field next to the road. Paramedics in hazmat suits worked on Mike before taking him to Bournemouth Hospital.

“He was one of our fittest walkers and had completed his most recent 100-mile challenge only last year, so this was entirely unexpected. It appears that a cardiac arrest can happen without any warning and can quickly be fatal if prompt action is not taken.”

Mike, from east Dorset, is now recovering in hospital and making good progress following the incident on August 31.

His partner, Deirdre, said: “Mike is doing well in his recovery, although there is some way to go yet. He has had and is having absolutely amazing care from so many specialists in the NHS.”

Deirdre was one of two people from the Dorset LDWA group to go on a British Red Cross first aid course, with an emphasis on outdoor situations, which covered more than CPR. She thinks it is ‘essential’ that people have basic training. She said: “Minutes matter when someone’s heart stops, even in the short periods waiting for the rapid response paramedics to arrive."

“I found that although some of the training I had is now a while ago, it kicked in automatically when faced with a live emergency. If we have had training, we somehow rehearse in our minds what we might do, which keeps the knowledge alive.”

Meanwhile, Robin Britton from the group praised the emergency services and those who helped, also echoing the importance of first aid training.

He added: “We are all extremely grateful to the emergency services for their rapid actions, to the passers-by who helped out - we did not have time to get anyone’s names, but you know who you are. The lesson we have learnt is that an emergency can strike at any time, so if you’re out in the country, make sure you have a phone and a precise idea of where you are, and it is very important if someone has an idea of how to do CPR - none of us had done it for real before.

“Fortunately, we were on a road at the time - we are often on quite remote footpaths.

“The Dorset Group of the LDWA has made regular donations to the air ambulance, but we never expected to need them like this.”