A man whose life was saved by staff at a Norwich gym has presented the heroic trio with an award at a special event in London.

Lyndon Green, 44, from Mile End Road, surprised Helen Barnes and Luke Matthew by showing up on the night with wife Maggie to present them with a Virgin Active Most Loved Award in the Special Recognition category, at a ceremony at Battersea Arena hosted by TV presenter Vernon Kay.

David Loughnan, the third life saver who performed CPR on Mr Green, was unable to attend.

The Evening News reported in October how Mr Green was saved by employees at Norfolk Health and Racquets Club in Drayton High Road, now owned by Virgin Active, after his heart stopped beating for nearly two minutes after a session on a rowing machine.

They performed CPR on him and used a defibrillator to restart his heart before he was taken to hospital.

This led to them being recognised by their employer who asked Mr Green to become the first member of the public to present one of their staff with an award.

'People were getting awards for best customer service, but this one was for going above and beyond the call of duty.

'Obviously it was a great thing they did, but what is also amazing is that they had only just had their training,' said Mr Green.

'This wasn't about me, it was about the staff at the gym who absolutely saved my life.

'It's good that their company recognise and appreciate their staff for doing this, because I certainly do.'

Mr Green gave a speech at the awards in front of 1,300 guests, in which he praised 'the training and action of three of your colleagues,' who without which 'there is no doubt that I would have been either severely brain damaged or dead.'

The three are all in their 20s and live in Norwich.

Mrs Barnes, 26, from Tuckswood, said: 'It was absolutely amazing, really lovely.

'I hadn't been emotional about it until that night.

'We didn't expect him to be there at all and then to have him come on stage like that, to have him standing there talking about his family and so on, it just hit me.

'You don't realise what you've done until it hits you, I did get quite emotional to say the least.'

Mr Green's 13-year-old son, Fraser, also performed heroics on the day, alerting staff and calling for an ambulance.

Host Vernon Kay left a personal message on Fraser's phone, saying: 'If you ever see me on a rowing machine, please come and row next to me.'

Are you or someone you know a hero? Call Joe Wilkes on 01603 772 474 or email joe.wilkes@archant.co.uk.