ROYALTY was on hand to congratulate a Ledbury lifesaver when she was awarded the workplace hero award at the St John Ambulance's Award Ceremony.

Diane Fullerton, 49, and friend Karen Lawrance, 48, of Worcester, were presented with the award on Wednesday night in London in front of an audience including the Countess of Wessex for saving the life of Chris McDonald, a visitor to their Pershore workplace last May.

Other famous faces includingTess Daly and Matthew Wright gave the award to the pair who were both working at General Dynamics UK in May last year when Mr McDonald collapsed and the two on-site first aiders trained by St John Ambulance came to his rescue.

They began cardio pulmonary resuscitation, which had no impact on Mr McDonald's vital signs. So they used an automated external defibrillator, keeping him alive until the paramedics arrived.

Mrs Fullerton said: "It was a lovely evening. Everybody was really kind and we were surprised to win. We had to go on stage and had out photos taken.

"Early in the evening we met the Countess of Wessex. She was great, very complimentary and enthusiastic and encouraging."

And despite being one the heroes of the evening Mrs Fullerton said she was inspired by the other stories told during the night.

She added: "All the others stories were so inspiring. What everybody else had done, it was quite emotional. Small children saving their dad and all sorts of incredible stories.

"It was really lovely, a very special evening."

Sue Killen, chief executive of St John Ambulance and Chair of Judges for Everyday Heroes said: "These Everyday Heroes are an inspiration to us all. Anyone can learn first aid but not enough people do. Whether you download a free app or go on two hour course, it’s so easy to learn. we urge everyone to follow these life savers’ lead so you too can be the difference between life and death."