HIS rock and roll record helped stir her from a deep coma.

Now Cheryl Powell has been able to thank pop star Si Cranstoun properly. It was his song Dynamo than began Cheryl’s long road to recovery after she suffered a near fatal heart attack in November 2013. Her daughter Jemma played the record to coma induced Cheryl at Southampton General Hospital’s cardiac unit where she was treated by doctors who saved her life.

And on Sunday Cheryl and her DJ husband Jef staged a Vintage Fair and Rock and Roll evening at Braishfield Social Club near Romsey to raise cash for the Heartbeat charity-based at hospital. The couple who live at North Baddesley wanted to say a ‘big thank you’ to the medical staff at the hospital and topping the bill at the fundraiser was Si Cranstoun and his band. “It was brilliant meeting Si again. I first met him on TV last October when I appeared on Good Morning Britain talking about what happened to me. I didn’t know he was coming on and was shocked to see him but it was a lovely surprise,” said 53-year-old Cheryl who had a tiny defibrillator fitted after her heart attack to kick-start her ticker if it stops again.

Si performed many of his numbers at the Rock and Roll evening including Dynamo.

“He was absolutely brilliant and he captivated the crowd. He is definitely my hero. He sang popular numbers and the encore of the evening was Dynamo. It was quite emotional. He brought me up on stage and hugged me. There was a standing ovation from the crowd. Si posed for photos with my family and his fans at our Rock and Roll evening. He was really fantastic and I will be forever grateful to him and we will be keeping in touch with each other. Si is such a gent and he’s really embraced the idea of helping the Wessex Heartbeat charity,” added Cheryl whose daughter Jemma discovered her lying on the floor after she had the heart attack and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her until South Central Ambulance paramedics arrived and took over the battle to save her life.

“I would like to see CPR taught in all schools. It is important to learn because it does save lives. I didn’t have any warnings or symptoms. I just collapsed on the floor and ended up in the cardiac hi-dependency unit. Without Jemma doing CPR, I would not have made it to hospital,” said Cheryl adding that the money raised at Sunday’s event is still being counted. “It was a massive success and we sold most of the tickets. We hope we’ve raised about £1,000. We cannot thank the hospital staff enough. They were so professional and really supported all the family when I was in hospital. Specialist nurses from the hospital came along to the Vintage Fair and the Rock and Roll evening,” added Cheryl.

Before Si Cranstoun and his band took to the stage Eddie Goodall and his band the Firedogs kicked the Rock and Roll show off with music from the era.

And Cheryl’s daughter Jemma and stepdaughter Ellie Powell teamed up as a duo for the evening to sing five songs under the name Heartbeats.

Cheryl’s other stepdaughter Steph had planned to take part in the singing but was taken ill and admitted to hospital.

“She will be gutted to have missed this,” concluded Cheryl whose parents Gill and Dave Horton attended the fundraiser along with her son Joe who lives in Essex.