Gareth’s Story

A pub owner from St Just has fundraised for a community defibrillator after suffering a near-drowning accident and being airlifted as a child.

In March 1994, Gareth Spencer was just four years old when he was playing in the garden with his big brother. There had been a frost, and his brother was stamping on the frozen puddles to crack them. Wanting to join in, Gareth did the same on the large pond, but he fell straight through the ice and into the freezing water.

Gareth’s dad noticed there was a coat floating in the pond, then realised Gareth was still inside it and managed to pull him out of the water to safety.

Cornwall Air Ambulance was tasked to the scene in the charity’s very first helicopter, the Messerschmitt Bölkow-Blohm BO 105, saving vital travel time in getting to the remote location.

Gareth had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped beating for several minutes. The crew managed to resuscitate and stabilise him, before airlifting him to Treliske Hospital for onward care.

He said: “I vaguely remember being put into the helicopter, I remember being put in underneath something, and I remember I had my teddy, flopsy bunny, with me, but I don’t remember much else, I was in and out of consciousness I assume. But I have a photo of the helicopter to remember it by. That’s kind of the memory of it.”

Due to inhaling dirty water from the fishpond, Gareth had suffered blood poisoning and sepsis. He remained in hospital for a week receiving treatment.

Now 30 years later, Gareth supports Cornwall Air Ambulance with charity collection jars in his pub – the Queen’s Arms in Botallack.

“With the pub, that’s the only charity pot that I’ve got because it means something to me, and it affected me”, said Gareth. “Without any of that I wouldn’t get to do the stuff I do now. I feel like its my duty to try and give back, I wouldn’t be here without it.”

Last summer Gareth also held a beer festival to raise money for a defibrillator which will be installed outside the pub, to help anyone who suffers a cardiac arrest in the remote area.

He added: “It just resonates with me, defibrillators weren’t really around when I was that age, especially not to be accessible. I was helped so I’d like to be able to help other people in that scenario too.”