'I died for 16 minutes in my local chippy'

Mr Scott said he would be forever grateful to the nurse who performed a "miracle" to save his life

A lollipop man who had a cardiac arrest lasting 16 minutes in his favourite fish and chip shop said it was "fantastic" to be back helping kids to cross the road.

Graham Scott, 81, collapsed while queuing for his regular order of lightly battered haddock and chips in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

A qualified nurse happened to enter the shop and performed CPR using a defibrillator, helping to resuscitate Mr Scott. The pair have since been reunited.

"I wouldn't be here without her," he said. "She's a person I'll never forget."

He added: "Miracles happen today. I know they happened years ago in the Bible but they happen today."

The shop owner describes Mr Scott as a "walking angel" who gives him a lift every time he sees him

The events unfolded one Friday night in January when Mr Scott walked to Milehouse Fish Bar and asked for his usual order from shop owner Andy Kyriacou.

"Within a couple of minutes, I just heard a big thud," remembered Mr Kyriacou, "and I realised it was Graham."

Staff members fled to grab a defibrillator attached to the chemist next door and phoned for an ambulance.

"Looking at the situation, I really wasn't hopeful," the shop owner admitted.

"Luckily for us, there was a nurse in the shop," he said. "Thank God she was there because she was his saving grace."

That nurse was Becky Ferneyhough, who was convinced to go to the shop by her son, who was keen for Friday night chips.

"I wanted a meal deal for two at Marks & Spencers, not fish and chips," she said. "So it's thanks to my son I was in the right place at the right time."

Walking into the shop, she saw a crowd had gathered around Mr Scott.

Ms Ferneyhough informed staff she was a qualified nurse and started CPR straight away but no one had at that point applied the device from the chemist.

"I shouted instructions to the lady that had fetched the defibrillator and within a few seconds we'd managed to get that attached to Graham."

They administered two shocks in the nine minutes before paramedics arrived.

Sami, seven, described the 81-year-old as "the best lollipop man ever"

Prior to the incident, Mr Scott was in good health, had never been to hospital nor taken any long-term medication.

That evening, he was in intensive care at Royal Stoke University Hospital surrounded by his family.

"To survive what he went through," explained Ms Ferneyhough, "It's nothing short of a miracle."

In August, Mr Scott passed his medical examination to return to Hempsall Primary School to help children cross the road.

"It's fantastic," he said. "I love being a lollipop man and serving the community and the children.

"It's given me a purpose in life and I'm back to where I belong," he stated, having guided the children to safety for 24 years.

Ms Ferneyhough has since pleaded with people to learn CPR and have the confidence to use defibrillator when required.

"Be brave, be confident," she said. "What you can do in those few minutes is absolutely vital in somebody being able to be alive still."