Mecca Bingo Club Assistant Saved Grandmothers Life on Ring and Ride Bus

Mecca Bingo Club assistant, Ben Washington saved one of their member’s lives when they suffered a heart attack on a ring and ride bus after a night out at their hall in Brierley Hill.

Ben dashed over seats on the ring and ride bus to give 66 year old Grandmother, Shirley Gardener the kiss off life and CPR.

Ben has been highly praised by doctors, who stated his actions gave Shirley vital minutes of treatment which saved her life.

Shirley called Ben her ‘Guardian Angel’, in a statement she also said, “When I opened my eyes I just saw this big face coming at me and I heard Ben say ‘Shirley, come on’ and I don’t remember anything else.”

Shirley has been playing at the Mecca Bingo club for over 15 years. On the 29th April, she went to Mecca with her daughter Kerry and was very happy when she left after pocketing a £55 win. But as they were leaving she began to feel breathless and when she got on the ring and ride bus, Shirley collapsed.

Ben recognised Shirley from the club and rushed over to help her. He trained in first aid 6 years previously with St John’s Ambulance, so had the knowledge to assist.

Speaking about the incident, Ben said, “Shirley was on the floor of the bus, so I climbed over a few seats to get to her and tried to get her comfortable because I thought at first it was asthma. But she said ‘I’m going, I’m gone’ and stopped breathing. That was the scariest bit, so I put her on her back and did CPR, including the kiss of life.”

A hospital worker, paramedic and then an ambulance all played their part in helping Shirley. She was rushed to Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital, where a medical team spent a further 45 minutes resuscitating her.

A Doctor told her husband, Richard, another five minutes and she would not have made it. Ben gave Shirley the crucial 5 minutes of CPR at the start.

Shirley and her family cannot thank Ben enough for his actions; they presented him with 3 bottles of his favourite tipple, Jaegermeister at the Mecca Bingo Club.

Mecca Operations manager, Donna Brownhill, said: “Ben is very modest but the club, the company and all our customers are very proud of him. His quick-thinking saved Shirley’s life.”