Weston-super-Mare man saves diner who was choking

Dan Sketchley was awarded the November Community Spotlight Award

A man who saved someone from choking on their food has been given a community award.

Pete Maynard was a pub in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, on 18 November when he started choking on his meal.

Dan Sketchley was at the next table and performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on Mr Maynard, saving his life.

Weston-super-Mare deputy mayor Peter McAleer will be presenting Mr Sketchley the November Community Spotlight Award for his "act of heroism".

Mr Sketchley said he was having a meal with colleagues in the Super Mare pub when he noticed Mr Maynard struggling at the table behind him.

• How the manoeuvre works

"I just got up straight away, went over to him," said Mr Sketchley. He performed the manoeuvre on Mr Maynard and gave him "a few blows on his back".

"Thankfully, he got his breath back," Mr Sketchley added.

Mr Maynard tracked down Mr Sketchley on Facebook to thank him.

'A happy ending'

"It was scary, but many thanks to you for stepping in like you did," he wrote. "I also am a trained first aider and helped people in the past but never heard if they were okay or not.

"Thanks to your quick actions it was a happy ending."

Mr Sketchley said since then, his phone "hasn't stopped pinging" with people congratulating him.

He said it was the first time he performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on someone.

"Funnily enough, when I was 10 or 11, I was choking and my dad did the Heimlich manoeuvre on me," Mr Sketchley remembered.

"It's something that's always stuck with me."