TWO quick-thinking GNER staff, who came to the aid of a collapsed elderly man at York Station, have been awarded the Royal Humane Society Resuscitation Award.

Customer service delivery manager Stephen Soards and customer service assistant David Kitchen were nominated for the award by British Transport Police.

They came to the rescue of an American tourist who had collapsed on the station footbridge in April, 2001.

Waiting for the ambulance service to arrive, Stephen and David performed First Aid to try and resuscitate the man, whose heart had stopped.

He regained a pulse during an ambulance journey to the hospital but, although he seemed to be recovering, died several days later.

The paramedics involved and British Transport Police believe the man would have died on the footbridge, had it not been for the actions of the two railwaymen.

The awards were presented by British Transport Police Chief Constable Ian Johnston in a ceremony at the British Medical Association House, London.

Stephen, a 38-year-old dad-of-two, said: "I'm surprised and very honoured that somebody thought to nominate us for this.

"We are both fully trained First Aiders and just acted as you would expect anyone to in a similar situation.

"You have to be prepared for anything, it's all part of the job."

David, 23, has worked in the rail industry since he was 16. He added: "We were performing CPR for about 20 minutes.

"It just seemed like the normal thing to do at the time, so being given the award is unexpected."

The pair's action have already been recognised by GNER, who presented them with the company's Gold Crest Award.

The award is presented to staff members who have made an outstanding contribution during the course of duty.

Updated: 08:59 Friday, April 12, 2002