A FORMER St Rocco’s Hospice nurse was responsible for saving a man’s life outside Manchester Airport.

Claire Bannon, who lives in Newton-le-Willows, thought and acted quickly after being told a man had fallen with blood left on the ground.

And her efforts have not gone unnoticed as she has been nominated for an award for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Meet and greet driver Claire said: “I was working at Terminal One and it was about an hour before my shift was due to finish.

“A couple of people came up to me to say that a man had fallen outside and hit his head.

“I went outside and could see a man in his 50s or 60s on the ground with blood around his head.

“There were already a few people around him trying to help but when I got closer, I thought he had died.”

Despite this, she sprang into action to see if there was anything she could do for the man, with the help of a medical student who was working in a nearby Greggs store.

“The man was showing no vital signs at all, had no pulse and it was evident that he had suffered some sort of cardiac attack,” continued Claire.

“I asked someone to ring for an ambulance and another to go and get the defibrillator and a screen as I knew where they were kept.

“I made sure his airway was clear and started to perform chest compressions.

“The defibrillator arrived, I placed the pads on his chest and shocked him two or three times.”

It was at this point that Claire realised that the man was still alive and her actions had ultimately saved his life.

“That’s when I could feel that he was breathing but it was very shallow,” she said.

“The ambulance then arrived and took him off to hospital.

“I’ve not heard anything more about the gentleman involved but I hope he is doing well and on the mend.”

READ > First restaurant confirmed for Time Square (and it is pretty exciting)

When turning up for work the next day, Claire was surprised to be told by a manager that she had been nominated for an award and says it still hasn’t sunk in.

“The next day, the meet and greet car park manager told me he had put my name forward for an above and beyond award, she added.

“I’m really grateful for the nomination but I’m still a bit shocked to be honest and it hasn’t really sunk in.

“I’d have been happy with a voucher to spend in the airport shops but to be invited to a swanky awards ceremony is really great.”

The awards dinner will take place later this year, but Claire believes a greater reward would be to see airport staff given training on what to do in a similar situation.

“No matter what department people work in, they need to be aware of where defibrillators are kept and how to use them,” she stated.

“In my previous role at St Rocco’s, where I worked for almost 20 years, we were given basic training with defibrillators, but it was never something we had to do.

“It would be great if this incident led to workshops for airport staff so that they know what to do in an emergency situation like the one I was faced with.”