Family's fundraising to pay for new defibrillators

Neil Pollard died an hour after taking a selfie on a bike

The family of a man who suddenly collapsed and died while out on bicycle ride have raised enough money to fund two defibrillators in his memory.

Neil Pollard, from Endmoor in Kendal, was riding his bike near the village when he suffered a cardiac arrest in July last year.

The 56-year-old father of two had received CPR at the scene but died a short time after.

This week his family met the paramedics who tried to save his life after raising more than £9,000 for charity, £4,000 of which will go on new defibrillators.

“He would do anything to help anyone and was an amazing dad to our two sons," his wife Tracey said.

“He was my best friend, partner in crime and my everything husband for 34 years."

Mr Pollard had been on a routine bicycle ride when he started feeling unwell and called his wife, asking her to pick him up.

However, when she arrived, she found him collapsed on the floor, receiving CPR and a defibrillator was being used on him.

She said: “Unfortunately, despite everyone’s best efforts Neil could not be saved."

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) also attended.

Post-mortem tests showed Mr Pollard had suffered an acute cardiac arrest following a blood clot.

'Grateful'

Mrs Pollard, who said her husband had appeared healthy, said: “He had never smoked or drank and hadn’t eaten meat for the last 10 years.

"We were totally unaware that he had any health issues at all."

Since then, the family have raised more than £4,000 to buy two defibrillators for the community and a further £5,000 for GNAAS.

This week they visited the GNAAS base in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, where they met those who attended the scene.

Mrs Pollard: “Although he didn’t survive, as a family we cannot be more grateful for all the help that he was given at the scene.

“We saw a team who cared about the way they do their job, and it was humbling to find that they were genuinely upset that they had not managed to save Neil.”

The British Heart Foundation said without "immediate treatment", a person suffering from cardiac arrest will die.

They said attacks could leave people unconscious, unresponsive or not breathing normally, and usually happen without warning.

A spokesperson added: "If you see someone having a cardiac arrest, phone 999 immediately and start CPR."