Honour for Jim Mellor, whose amazing actions saved the life of his friend and ex-Scarborough Sixth Form colleague Gordon Dent

Jim was presented with a Certificate from the Royal Humane Society by Gordon Dent, whose life he saved in July.

Gordon is also a former Sixth Form College tutor.

They were out cycling in the Hackness area with two other ex-colleagues.

They had just reached the top of a hard and long ascent when Gordon fell off his bike onto the grass verge.

His three companions quickly realised that he was in a bad way. He had no pulse and had stopped breathing and the likely cause was a heart attack.

Their friend Mark White said: "Jim immediately started CPR while the others called for an ambulance.

"Jim continued the CPR non-stop for 15 to 20 minutes until the paramedics arrived from Whitby.

"He remained calm and completely determined throughout this time, applying many years of CPR training. His expertise was supported by guidance from the 999 operator on the mobile phone.

"During this time Gordon’s vital signs showed some revival but then he stopped breathing and had no pulse for a second time. On arrival the paramedics used a defibrillator twice in order to revive Gordon.

"He was taken to A&E at Scarborough Hospital, where two doctors came separately to see Jim and his fellow cyclists to congratulate them for saving Gordon’s life and expressing some amazement that the CPR had worked so effectively until the paramedics arrived."

Gordon was transferred to Castle Hill Hospital in Hull on the same evening where he had a stent inserted. He was allowed home after four days and has recovered completely, with no lasting damage to his heart.