Heroic staff at a leisure centre in Alcester saved a young man's life after he suffered a heart attack. 

Harry Marsh, aged 25, was enjoying a game of badminton at The Greig Leisure Centre with his friends earlier this month when he suddenly collapsed. 

The karate club, who were nearby, immediately started doing chest compressions whilst Mr Marsh's friends sought help from leisure centre staff. 

General manager Tom Wilson quickly took over by administering CPR and using a defibrillator twice until he regained consciousness. 

Mr Marsh said: "A thank you doesn’t seem enough when the staff saved my life. I feel incredibly lucky that not only am I here, but I am also in good health.

"It’s all down to the staff and the karate class who acted quickly and saved me. I’m now in a position where I can still live a normal and active life.

"I’ve got six weeks of rest now, but after that, I can resume my normal life – all thanks to everyone on hand that day." 

Duty manager Danny Costello also supported Mr Wilson during the incident by clearing the sports hall so Mr Marsh's friends didn't have to watch what was happening. 

He also called an ambulance with paramedics taking the young man to hospital for tests which revealed he had a genetic heart condition called arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. 

Mr Marsh has now been fitted with an ICD to manage the condition and is in recovery. 

He also returned to the leisure centre a week later to thank the staff in person. 

Richard Bell, contract manager for Everyone Active, said: "I’m immensely proud of Tom, Danny and the rest of the team for how they reacted on that day. It’s a testament to their professionalism and care for our members.

"It also highlights how critical CPR training is, particularly in the world of sport where the number of young people with life-threatening heart conditions is growing." 

The incident follows the launch of the British Heart Foundation’s Every Minute Matters campaign, which is fronted by popular footballers like Tom Lockyer and Graeme Souness who have experienced cardiac issues themselves.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage over a quarter of a million people to learn life-saving CPR skills over the next year.

Mr Bell added: "We’re so pleased that Harry is recovering, and that the doctors have given him the green light to resume normal activity after six weeks.

"It goes to show that, the more people who are trained in administering CPR, the more positive outcomes we can have like this."