A son has told of the moment he saved his father's life by performing CPR.

Colin Harley suffered from a heart attack in April 2021 just after he returned to his home in Loose, Maidstone from a dog walk.

The 74-year-old had collapsed in his garage and was found by his wife Sue who decided to ring their son Steve before 999.

He said: "On the day it happened I was working from home. I had a call from my mum and I almost did not answer. She seemed quite distressed and said my dad had collapsed.

"I knew something was wrong and luckily enough I live just down the road. I ran down there and he was quite clearly not with it but he was still palliatively breathing.

"I knew something was seriously wrong and started the procedure of CPR while I managed to get my mum, in her distraught state, to ring 999.

"After a period of time we managed to get secondary help from an ambulance. Then Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) Air Ambulance was called.

"We managed to stabilise my father but after initial assessments from the doctor from the air ambulance, the decision was made to put my dad into an induced coma and fly him into King’s in London."

Colin woke up 22 hours later and after 15 days in hospital, was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Steve, 37, said he managed to get to his dad roughly two to three minutes after he collapsed and was performing CPR for around eight minutes.

Dr Magnus Nelson from KSS, which is based at Rochester Airport, treated Colin. He added: "Colin's story shows just how important CPR from a bystander can be. Without Steve’s intervention, it is unlikely he would have survived.

"Even if you have not learned CPR, the 999 call handler can tell you what to do. Do not be afraid to step forward – you could save a life."

Steve is now supporting the Restart a Heart campaign which has seen KSS join forces with Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, UK Ambulance Services and other charitable organisations to ensure everyone has the skills to save a life.

Survival rates from out of hospital cardiac arrests are one in 10 and more than a third of UK adults do not have CPR life-saving skills, according to a survey by Warwick University.

Steve, who was trained in CPR during various jobs, added: "It is one of those things that you learn that you never really think that you will use, you never actually want to use.

"In the heat of the moment there are a lot of things that go through your mind – ‘this is my father, is this how it is going to end?’ - all of the things like that.

"I think a little bit of knowledge goes an extremely long way. It is the difference between life and death or giving that person the biggest opportunity you can.

"If you have an opportunity to learn CPR, you may only have to learn it once in your life but it will give you a chance to do something if you are ever put in that situation.

"It is very important. It is not always about saving someone's life, it is about giving them the best opportunity.

"The people you hang around with are your friends and family and are those that you see the most. There is a higher chance you will have to perform it on someone you care about or love.

"Why would you not want to give them the opportunity for life? I would encourage people to step up and take the opportunity to learn if you can."

Netflix's Sex Education star Connor Swindells has also joined the campaign and produced a video to demonstrate how to perform CPR.

James Cant, chief executive at Resuscitation Council UK added: "A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time, so it is important that as many people as possible are equipped with this life-saving skill.

"It only takes two minutes to learn and anyone can give it a go. If you are reluctant or unable to do rescue breaths, hands-only CPR will still give the person the same chance."

Restart a Heart began on October 16 but is continuing throughout the month. Events are taking place online and in-person. You can find out when and where through South East Coast Ambulance Service.