Phil was dead, Eleanor brought him back to life and now they're unlikely friends

Phil says he is "eternally grateful" to Eleanor after she conducted CPR by the River Trent in Newark

A nurse and pensioner became unlikely friends after she saved his life in Newark. Phil Seagar was 82-years-oldwhen he collapsed while walking along the River Trent towards the Roman bridge in the town. Phil said he 'suddenly felt very odd' before the incident on June 29.

It is unclear how long Phil was on the ground for, but at around midday Eleanor Pike, a nurse at Kings Mill Hospital, was walking nearby with her partner Rachel and their dog when she saw a man on the ground. The 29-year-old said: "We were just before the bridge and I saw Phil. Someone had put him in a recovery position and I could just see the back of his head and he had a nasty wound.

"I had to get closer and make sure everything was ok and I assumed that Phil was alert and awake as nobody appeared to be panicking. As we walked by I kind of looked down and realised there was no sign of life."

Phil stated: "I had died." To which Eleanor nodded in agreement, adding: "He was dead. I immediately gave my bag to my partner and I was in my off-duty normal clothes but I started CPR.

"I very quickly realised we were on the wrong side of the river for any cars." Whilst carrying out CPR Eleanor was co-ordinating with the ambulance service and a group of people had gathered concerned about Phil.

The nurse continued: "It's very tiring doing CPR on your own, especially when you think you're the only one who knows how to do it." She knew that there was a defibrillator nearby and a man took over the CPR whilst Eleanor ran to get the device, but halfway there she could hear the ambulance and so ran back to help as she knew the paramedics would have all the necessary equipment with them.

Eleanor helped the crew set up and they were able to get a sign of life from Phil. She added: "Then I helped them make sure that Phil got in the ambulance ok with the crew, but he had nothing on him to suggest who he was. For two months I didn't know who he was or what happened."

Weeks after the incident Eleanor was still wondering about the man she had helped, meanwhile, Phil had been wanting to track down the woman who saved him. It was only by chance that they were able to find each other thanks to the help of some family and friends.

Eleanor explained that one day "my mum's friend was chatting to a couple at Newark hospital and it turned out to be Phil's brother" so they passed on her details. "Phil appeared at my door one day and unfortunately I was at work. Then we met a few days later and we had our photo taken together and it was very emotional."

Phil had left her a note with his contact details, and also wrote at the bottom: "You saved my life - I want to thank you!" He described the whole thing as "extraordinary" and explained he is "eternally grateful" to Eleanor for saving his life.

He said: "It's not often you see the person who resuscitated you, it's quite extraordinary. When I was in hospital all that time I wanted to find out who helped me."

The former antiques dealer, who is now 83-years-old, explained meeting Eleanor was very "emotional" and he was "weeping." Following the incident in June, Phil spent four weeks at Lincoln Hospital but he has since returned to hospital four times for other health reasons.

He and Eleanor have made an unlikely friendship and she has even given him lifts back from the hospital before. She added: "I try to ring him in the week and make sure he's ok." They keep in touch and have regular catch-ups, and Eleanor says it's "nice" to hear about Phil's life and his adventures.

Eleanor has been a nurse for over six years and is urging people to learn CPR or at least know the basics as you never know when you could help. She shared: "I put it on Facebook to show look at how knowing CPR can make a difference and it's helped give Phil a little extra time on this earth.

"I think everyone should be trained in it or at least know how to do it. If I hadn't initiated that process I don't think anyone would have." She added: "It is very different doing CPR in a hospital than next to the River Trent."

St John's Ambulance offers a range of First Aid Training courses, but the British Heart Foundation also has a free tool which can help someone learn how to save a life in just 15 minutes with a phone and a cushion.