‘I thought he was dead’ – Pulborough school staff honoured by St John Ambulance after restarting a cyclist’s heart on their lunch break

St John Ambulance have revealed the nation’s most inspirational lifesavers at work, following an intimate ceremony at The Museum of the Order of St John on November 10.

Stacey Charman, Chellie Messenger and Claire Agnew of Windlesham House School have been named joint Beyond the Workplace Heroes 2026 by St John Ambulance.

The three first aid heroes saved the life of cyclist Kip Knowles, 57, after he collapsed in cardiac arrest near the school while Stacey and Chellie were out on a lunchtime dog walk.

Kip, who had stopped breathing by the time the defibrillator arrived, came round after around 25 minutes of CPR and two shocks.

The trio were among seven winners honoured last night at St John Ambulance’s Lifesavers at Work Awards. The charity launched the initiative after its research found that four in five UK workers (83 per cent) believe deserve more celebration than Oscar winners.

GP and broadcaster Dr Nighat Arif presented each winner with an award recognising their swift, lifesaving action at a ceremony at the Chapter Hall at St John’s Gate, London, where several were reunited with the people they saved.

Shona Dunn, CEO of St John Ambulance says: “Every one of the winners was an ordinary person who refused to give up on someone whose life was slipping away.

“These people are alive today because someone nearby knew what to do, and that should be true for everyone in this country.

“Cardiac arrest is the emergency that workers fear the most, yet two in five say they wouldn’t know how to perform CPR. That’s a gap we can close, and the workplace is where we can close it the fastest.

“St John Ambulance has almost 20,000 volunteers keeping communities safe across the UK, but by training more first aiders in the workplace we can create millions more lifesavers. Each of them takes those skills home to their family, onto the high street and into their community.

“So today, I’m asking every employer in England to make first aid part of key part of working life, because the next lifesaver could be sitting at the desk next to you.”

PE teacher Stacey Charman and cookery teacher Chellie Messenger set off from Windlesham House School for a lunchtime walk when Chellie’s dog, Waffle, refused their usual route.

Waffle’s new path led them to Kip Knowles, who had just collapsed on the side of the road after he’d been cycling alone on the South Downs.

Stacey and Chellie, who had both undertaken workplace first aid training with St John Ambulance only six weeks earlier jumped into action.

Stacey began CPR while Chellie called 999 and used her walkie-talkie to radio the school for its defibrillator.

Stacey said: “Everything was a complete blur apart from Kip. I was in the zone, the training kicked in, and nothing around me could stop me from carrying on.”

For Chellie, it was the first time she had given CPR to anyone other than a training manikin.

“It was horrible to see, but we didn’t stop,” she said. “It wasn’t a case of ‘that’s it, he’s gone’. I was thinking – this man is the age of my husband.”

School nurse Claire Agnew arrived with the defibrillator. “I thought he was dead,” she said.

“I know what a dead body looks like; I’ve done this for 42 years.”

She delivered two shocks, and after around 25 minutes of CPR, Kip took a deep breath and sat up.

Kip, now 58, said: “I was on my bike in the middle of nowhere; I hadn’t seen anyone for hours.

“The ladies did CPR on me for around 25 minutes. I was going in and out of consciousness, and by the time Claire arrived with the defib, I'd stopped breathing, and they thought it was too late.

“But they didn't give up on me, and I wouldn't be here today without them.”

Exactly a year after the incident, Kip was reunited with the three women who saved him. Since that day, they have urged everyone they know to learn CPR.

His wife Lucy, who nominated them for the award, added: “Our lives, and the lives of so many family and friends, would have crumbled had these angels not been there that day.”

Dr Nighat Arif said: “As a GP, I know the minutes before an ambulance arrives can decide whether someone lives or dies, and the most important person then isn’t a doctor; it’s whoever is nearby.

“I’ve met people who used what they learnt at work to bring someone back to their family.

“I talk about health on TV, but what these winners did with their own hands is the most powerful message of all.

“They have demonstrated the greatest act of humanity in real life.”

The awards follow eye-opening insights from St John Ambulance revealing that more than one in four UK workers (28 per cent) have needed first aid at work.

Cardiac arrest is the workplace emergency workers fear most (33 per cent), yet almost two in five (39 per cent) say they don’t know how to perform CPR.

Of those who have witnessed a medical emergency at work, just two in five (40 per cent) were able to give first aid themselves. Worryingly, in some cases (three per cent), nobody at the scene was able to help at all. Yet 85 per cent of workers say they would feel safer knowing their colleagues were first aid trained.

To find out more about the winners, and how to arrange first aid training for your workplace, visit http://shop.sja.org.uk/s/awards2611.