BIG-HEARTED Cottingley folk and businesses have bought two defibrillators for the town after a community centre worker’s husband nearly died from a cardiac arrest last Christmas Eve.

Tracey Shorten’s husband Stephen suffered a massive heart attack and paramedics had to fight for an hour to bring back his pulse.

And in February she launched a fundraising mission to buy a defibrillator for the Cornerstones Community Centre, Cottingley.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response and a huge thankyou to everyone,” Mrs Shorten said.

“Residents and businesses have all been brilliant - we needed £1,500 to buy just one and got close to that total thanks to a £500 donation from Shipley Rotary Club.

“And then the Yorkshire Building Society in Bingley got in touch and offered to buy us one outright.

“That put us in a bit of a dilemna, but we weren’t going to turn down the chance to get two of these machines,” said Tracey, 47, the community engagement manager at Cornerstones.

“So we’ve been able to buy two and one is on our outside wall and the other has gone to Cottingley Town Hall in the old village.

Tracey told why getting the defibrillators was of personal importance.

“On Christmas Eve my husband Stephen, a fit man, a keen diver and someone with no history of health problems suffered a massive heart attack.

“We live on a static caravan park in Keighley and the first thing the 999 operator said was ‘is there a defibrillator on site.’

“There wasn’t, but luckily my brilliant neighbours kept my husband alive until the ambulance arrived.

“The paramedics worked on him for hour and couldn’t get a pulse.

“They told me there was nothing more they could do - then suddenly his pulse came back.

Mr Shorten, 60, is now fully fit, back working as a baker in Wibsey and planning to return to his diving hobby this summer.

“It’s because of what happened to us that I started the campaign in February, because people of all ages come to Cornerstones.”

To enable people to gain the confidence to use the defibrillators an information day is planned and anyone interested should call Mrs Shorten on 01274 512 800 before Friday, August 5.

“We hope they are never needed, but if so, we’ll be proud that the whole of Cottingley contributed to it,” she said.