A TEENAGER whose quick thinking saved the life of his father has had his actions rewarded by the Royal Humane Society.

When landscape architect Nick Leeming collapsed with a heart attack just yards from his Darlington home when he was out jogging in July last year, he never expected his teenage son to be his saviour.

The 51-year-old's wife, Jenny, and 16-year-old son, Tom, were alerted by neighbours to the unexpected drama unfurling almost on their doorstep.

The teenager, who was trained in life-saving CPR skills at Barnard Castle School, took charge of the emergency and administered CPR while emergency services were on the way.

Tom, who is a lance corporal in the school's cadet force, said it was a shock to see his father collapsed on the floor, but his training instantly kicked in.

He said: "I wasn't expecting to see dad like that, but I took over doing the CPR from the jogger and thankfully managed to keep it going until the fire brigade arrived to take over and used the defibrillator on dad."

Within four minutes County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service arrived on the scene and were able to take control and provide vital first responder life-saving skills.

The crew, part of the emergency medical response (EMR) pilot scheme with the North East Ambulance Service, used a defibrillator to shock Mr Leeming’s heart and get it started again.

The ambulance crew arrived shortly afterwards to care for and transport him, first to Darlington Memorial Hospital and then on to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

Mr Leeming said the heart attack was completely unexpected as he had not been feeling unwell and had suffered none of the usual warning signs.

"I can't remember a thing about what happened, I just woke up in hospital after ten days to learn that Tom had helped to save my life – to say I'm proud is an understatement," he said.

"Every parent would hope their children would do the same and to hear that Tom is to receive recognition for what he has done makes it extra special."

After spending several days in an induced coma, Mr Leeming was brought round by medics and has returned to full fitness after having a stent inserted into his heart.

Mrs Leeming said: "I can't praise all of the emergency staff enough – everyone was brilliant with us throughout the entire incident. It was touch and go whether Nick had suffered any brain damage, but he has returned to full health."

Announcing the award, Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, praised the teenager's initiative.

He said: "Thankfully, Tom was the right person in the right place at the right time. Time is of the essence in situations like this and the longer the delay in administering CPR the less likely the victim has of survival.

"Although very young, Tom had thankfully been trained in CPR techniques by the cadet force. But when he learned them he could never have foreseen that they would be used to save his father's life."