A YACHT skipper has been reunited with the paramedics who brought him back from the dead.

Struck down in the middle of the night by a heart attack Richard Houghton had only moments left to live. But thanks to the quick actions of staff from South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) the 58-year-old survived.

Richard was asleep in bed with partner Dawn when she was woken by him murmuring incoherently with his face down in his pillow.

Shocked Dawn called 999 and started life-saving CPR until paramedics arrived.

They worked hard to revive Richard using a defibrillator several times in order to stabilise him before taking him to hospital. Richard remained in an induced coma for six days before regaining consciousness and only returned home after five weeks of intensive rehabilitation to help him walk again.

Ever since that night in June last year he has been working on his recovery with one special mission in his mind – to thank the crew who saved his life.

Richard visited the SCAS headquarters in Otterbourne to be reunited with Amber Dickinson, who efficiently dispatched the crews, and paramedics Alec Shepherd, Mike Francis, Jon Agate and Gail Anderson, who arrived at his Gosport home.

Richard said: “It was truly wonderful and quite humbling to meet the ambulance crew who are every day at the sharp end of life and death – and everything in between.

“I had died and they literally gave me my life back.

“I wanted to meet them to say a heartfelt thank you for all that they had done for me and those that love me that night. I am truly in awe of their professionalism and dedication because thanks to them now I have a great future to look forward to. They are very special people and I will never forget them.”

Gail Anderson, SCAS paramedic, addded: “I personally found it amazing and humbling to meet Richard again. So often we drop patients at hospital and never hear about them again.

“His story is fantastic and heart-warming and I feel very proud to have been part of it.”