Life of rough sleeper saved by Chorley Wetherspoons doorman following emergency CPR

It was a cold winter night for doorman Barry Graham, who was readying himself for a Friday night working the doors at The Sir Henry Tate Wetherspoons pub in Chorley town centre.

But before the clock had even hit midnight the Elite Security worker was called into action in a way he never had before, having to resuscitate a homeless man sleeping outside the pub.

Barry, who works with Chorley Pubwatch, said: “I’ve been a doorman for 29 years and I’ve never had to do anything like this before.

“Some of those who work the doors get a bad reputation for whatever reason; this shows the good that we can do too.

“There was a homeless man that’s sits outside the pub regularly. There’s quite a few in Chorley.

“This guy in question just sits outside, he doesn’t ask for any money or anything. He’s a really nice man.

"A member of the public came round the corner and said to me that he didn’t look very good and that someone should take a look at him. I went and had a look and he was gone. I shook him and everything but he was gone.

“I started with chest compressions while someone else phoned for an ambulance.”

A police officer then arrived on the scene and helped Barry with CPR on the gentleman.

Barry, who is known as Baz, said: “We did 30 reps each and thankfully he came around after around five, six minutes.

“It was scary because I didn’t know that what I was doing was right. I just did what I had to do.

“All I was thinking was I would expect someone to do the same for me what I did for this guy.

“We brought him around just as the ambulance came and and took over.

“He was in the ambulance for an hour, then around an hour later me and him were talking and having a coffee together.

“I couldn’t get over it. To be sat there having a brew with him shouldn’t have been happening.”

The gentleman then came into the Wetherspoon pub on the Saturday afternoon where he told staff that Barry had saved his life.

“It’s really nice of him”, said Barry.

“If he was half an hour later, or somewhere else, who knows what would have happened. I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time.”

In Barry’s spare time he volunteers at the LW Storehouse food bank at the LivingWaters Church in Chorley, which helps the town’s most vulnerable people on a daily basis.

It came after he was forced to turn to the food bank for help in late 2016 after falling on hard times in the aftermath of the roll out of the controversial Universal Credit benefits policy.

Speaking about how his experiences impacted his actions on that cold Friday night, 46-year-old Baz said: “It’s all about giving back to people.

“Everyone should be treated in the same way, with the same levels of respect.”

A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon said: “Barry Graham, who has been a member of the door team for the past year, regularly checks on anyone he sees sleeping rough in and around the area.

“On this occasion, he noticed a problem with a homeless man sleeping on the floor near to the pub.

“He performed CPR, while the paramedics were called, and the ambulance crew took the man to hospital.

“The homeless man, who returned the following day, was extremely grateful for Barry’s help.

“Wetherspoon and the pub management at The Sir Henry Tate are very proud of his timely actions.

“Barry is well-known locally and actively involved in the Chorley community.”