Portsmouth first aider highly commended in awards for helping man who cut off fingers

Mark Farmer, from Cosham, attended the St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes awards and was highly commended in the everyday hero category.

The 48-year-old was nominated after helping a man who cut off three of his fingers on a farm. Mark, who was visiting, leapt into action and sat the casualty down, raised his arm and applied pressure with his own hand.

He dressed the wound and then treated the casualty for shock.

Mark also ensured the other bystanders were being looked after by his wife Alyson.

He said: ‘I felt honoured to be nominated for the Everyday Hero award and to get a special mention means a lot to me.

‘Knowing I can make the difference to someone’s life when they need it most is really important to me and being recognised for this is fantastic.

‘I was very humbled after reading and hearing the other stories. I was very pleased for the other winners but in my view, everybody in the room was a hero.

‘First aid is what makes the difference between life and death or quality of life.’

The annual Everyday Heroes Awards, supported by Laerdal, celebrated the nation’s life savers, honouring community heroes, organisations and members of the public.