A Suffolk grandfather who collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest after hitting golf balls at a driving range came face to face with the people who saved his life this week to say thank you.

Tim Wright, of Ipswich, was in the car park of the Bramford Golf Centre when he lost consciousness on the morning of August 28 last year.

After witnessing the incident, staff from the centre – among them a worker called Chris Collins – began CPR and used a defibrillator to restart his heart.

A paramedic arrived at the scene within five minutes of a 999 call at 11.39am, followed by an ambulance crew and the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

The 54 year old was “shocked” 28 times between collapsing and his arrival at Ipswich Hospital, where he went on to make a full recovery – he was taken to hospital by a land ambulance, with the air ambulance crew assisting along the way.

Speaking after meeting his lifesavers on Monday, retired Mr Wright, who does not remember much of the day itself, said: “I’m just so glad that everyone did what they did, I was extremely lucky, the luckiest person in the world. Thanks to everyone, I’m now able to watch my six grandchildren grow up.”

Mr Collins, whose actions were credited with saving Mr Wright’s life, added: “It was the first time I’d done CPR for real as well as using the defibrillator – after it was all over I was a blubbering mess.”

The defibrillator at the golf centre was one of the 1,000 the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) distributed across the region last year to help save more lives.

Jon Needle, community partnership manager for Suffolk at EEAST, said: “I’d encourage any public places to have a defibrillator fitted. They are a crucial bit of kit and can be instrumental in saving lives, this incident demonstrates that.

“If you ever need to use one and have access to one, you should not be afraid to do so, they are incredibly easy to use.”

Mr Collins added: “You’re not going to get it wrong [using a defibrillator], it’s so easy to use.”

The story of Mr Wright – who was back golfing within five to six weeks of the incident – will now be documented on Sky One’s new show Air Ambulance ER on May 9 at 9pm.