Bingo caller from Brierley Hill saved grandmother's life

Ben Washington raced to give the kiss of life to the 66-year-old when she suffered a heart attack on a Ring and Ride bus as she left the Mecca bingo hall in High Street, Brierley Hill.

The first aider – who had never before used his life-saving training 'for real' – clambered over the bus seats to reach her, breathe life into her and start compressions.

And doctors said his actions bought her the vital five minutes of treatment that saved her life.

"He's Ben, my guardian angel," said Shirley, a retired cleaner, of Beecher Road East, Halesowen, who has now met the amusement arcade team leader to thank him and give him a grateful kiss.

The story of how Ben, amusements team leader at Mecca, saved her life brought tears to the eyes of around 400 fellow bingo players when her husband, Richard, stepped up in front of them, flanked by Shirley, their four children and some of their grandchildren, to praise Ben's actions.

The family presented the 33-year-old with three bottles of his favourite tipple – Jaegermeister.

Shirley, who has been a regular at the Mecca for around 15 years, was happy with a £55 win at bingo with her daughter Kerry, aged 42, on the night of April 29, when she began to feel breathless as they were leaving.

She got on the bus with Kerry, of Highfield Crescent, Colley Gate, but then collapsed between the seats.

Ben, who trained in first aid with St John Ambulance six years ago, raced to the rescue.

Shirley said: "When I opened my eyes I just saw this big face coming at me and I heard Ben say 'Shirley, come on' and I don't remember anything else."

Ben, who lives with his wife, Denise, and six-year-old son Cain in Norwood Road, Brockmoor, Brierley Hill, said: "Shirley was on the floor of the bus, so I climbed over a few seats to get to her and tried to get her comfortable because I thought at first it was asthma.

"But she said 'I'm going, I'm gone' and stopped breathing.

"That was the scariest bit, so I put her on her back and did CPR, including the kiss of life."

As Shirley began to regain consciousness, two other bingo customers – a hospital worker and a paramedic – came to help him, followed by an ambulance crew.

Shirley was rushed to Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital, where a medical team spent a further 45 minutes resuscitating her."

The doctor came out and said another five minutes and she wouldn't have made it," said husband Richard, aged 74, a retired packing case maker.

"Ben giving her CPR gave her that five minutes."

Richard added that emergency staff, as well as those on the crictical care and cardiac units at Russells Hall Hospital, had all been 'brilliant' too.

Donna Brownhill, operations manager at the bingo hall, said: "Ben is very modest but the club, the company and all our customers are very proud of him.

"His quick-thinking saved Shirley's life.

West Midlands Ambulance Service were called to the scene outside the bingo hall at 9.40pm and they arrived a minute later.

They treated the patient at the scene before taking her to Russells Hall Hospital ni Dudley where she received further treatment.

Steve parry, spokesman for the ambulance service, said: "When a patient suffers a medical condition every minute counts and the sooner a member of the public come to the aid of that patient the better chances that patient has of making a full recovery.

"The help of bystanders is also helpful to the ambulance service when such situations occur."