Thanks to the life-saving actions of a bystander and South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) clinicians, a Sandhurst man hopes he’ll get the chance to see an 80s hit-maker he missed out on after suffering a cardiac arrest outside Brighton concert venue.
Barry Wrench, now 70-years-old, was looking forward to attending a Gary Numan concert on Saturday, 22 November 2025, with his wife, Sheila, and friends. But their night out never went as planned. Before they could enter the venue, Barry collapsed outside the Grand Hotel in Brighton on their way to the concert.
A security guard saw what happened and jumped into action delivering vital chest compressions to try and restart Barry’s heart while his friends phoned 999.
“I just remember feeling breathless,” Barry said. “The next thing I knew, I woke up in an ambulance.”
By chance, Paramedic, Molly King, and Trainee Associate Ambulance Practitioner (TAAP), Koby Rowbotham, were driving past at the time and saw the incident happen. They pulled over immediately and began administering life-saving care while further help arrived on scene.
Their rapid response, combined with the early CPR provided by the venue’s staff member, proved critical.
“I was told how lucky I am,” Barry said. “That it wasn’t my time.”
This cardiac arrest was his second near-death experience, having previously survived sepsis. Since his recovery, he has focused on staying active as part of his rehabilitation, including regular walking to support his heart health.
As part of National Heart Month, Barry and Sheila recently reunited with Molly and Koby as well as Emergency Care Support Worker (ECSW), Clare Berry, Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP) Mark Tilley and Emergency Medical Advisor (EMA) Lorna Harris – some more of the team who helped save Barry – to thank them for saving his life.
Barry’s story highlights the importance of early CPR, bystander intervention and rapid emergency response in cardiac arrest survival.
“If people hadn’t acted so quickly, I wouldn’t be here,” Barry said. “I’m so thankful to everyone for what they did for me that evening.”
“I’m beyond grateful to everyone that helped Barry that night and that we get to spend many more years together as a family,” Sheila added. “Things like this really make you appreciate the small things and we’re incredibly lucky he is still here with us.”
“It was lovely to meet Barry and Sheila in much better circumstances,” Molly said. “This story really highlights how the ‘chain of survival’ should work and how it can make such a difference when every step comes together. I hope Barry and Sheila will be able to attend a Gary Numan concert someday.”
Learning CPR can be done in as little as 15 minutes with free online tools such as RevivR. Find out more about how you can save a life here.