‘Thank You to the Staff at BSLC, You are Life Savers’

On 16th January we received a telephone call from Bradley Stoke resident Steve Durbin, 50.  He had just been released from Frenchay having suffered a heart attack on the Monday.  His message to us was very clear – “Please will you publicly thank all the staff at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre who helped me on Monday.  I cannot praise them enough, they were fantastic!”  

We were very pleased to relay this message to the Leisure Centre on Steve’s behalf and the following week, when Steve was feeling stronger we popped around to see him.   I’m pleased to say that Steve is recovering very well at home and still feels so grateful that the Leisure Centre staff spotted and reacted to his situation so promptly.  “I was playing table tennis with my friend Martin, which is something we do regularly on a Monday afternoon, when I started to feel unwell.  Martin went to the front desk and within seconds there were three or four members of staff looking after me.  They were so calming and reassuring.  They sat me up and leant me against one member of staff’s legs – poor girl I must have been a weight for her!  Another member of staff went to contact my wife Tracey.  They just kept talking to me, so reassuring whilst we waited for the ambulance.  The paramedics came and did their tests and then I was taken off to Frenchay.  Tracey got the messages and arrived at the Leisure Centre in time to come with me”.

Wife Tracey added “Typically I was out shopping at the WillowBrook Centre and had forgotten my mobile, so didn’t answer the ‘phone straight away.  However the Leisure Centre kept trying to get hold of me, so that as soon as I got home I was aware and able to come straight over.  It was such a shock, as you can imagine, but I am so pleased and  grateful  that Steve was so well looked after.  We can’t thank them enough.”  

For confidentiality reasons, staff at Bradley Stoke Leisure were obviously reluctant to talk to me about Steve’s incident when I popped in to pass the message on to them, but Operations Manager Martin Hinham did release the following statement ” ‘Our staff at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre are highly skilled, trained and motivated to deliver the best service possible to our customers, which time to time will involve responding to emergency situations. The staff involved acted very quickly and we are very pleased to hear that Steven is recovering well .

Steve and Tracey have lived in Bradley Stoke since 2000.  Both work as carers to adults with special needs.  Their two sons have both left home now but have stayed locally, one in Bradley Stoke and the other in Frampton Cotterell, which is good news as they have two young grandchildren of 3 and just a few weeks old.  Steve especially wants to stay fit and well to be able to enjoy his role as a granddad.  This is Steve’s second heart attack, the first being when he was 47.  When he is a little stronger he will participate in an 8 week period of cardiac rehab, which is also hosted at the Leisure Centre  and run by specialised physiotherapists.

Steve told me “Bradley Stoke is such a great place to live with so much available on your doorstep within walking distance, which is great for me as I don’t have a car”.  Tracey added “We love receiving your magazine, it’s so handy and I love to read the local articles.  There is now a great feeling of community  spirit locally – we’ve really noticed how this has been enhanced over the recent years”.

Fabulous feedback all round from this lovely local couple.  We wish you all the best Steve for a full recovery and thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

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