A grandmother has been reunited with the medical staff who helped save her life.

Renee Olorenshaw-Woods, 77, of Colchester, suffered a heart attack at the Dog and Pheasant near her Mile End home two months ago.

Off-duty nurse Debbie Reynolds, who was at the pub for a family meal, gave her mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

She is now making a good recovery, and last month had a double heart bypass operation at the London Chest Hospital.

Mrs Olorenshaw-Woods, who is a widow, lives with her daughter Melanie and her husband LeRoy Smith in Defoe Crescent.

Also at Thursday's reunion at the Nayland Road pub was Dr Peter Jones, a psychiatrist from the Lakes Mental Health Centre in Colchester, ambulance paramedic Stephen Keating and technician Wayne McHugh, who all helped save her life.

Mrs Reynolds, 37, a nurse at Colchester General Hospital, said: "I'd only just arrived at the pub when I noticed Mrs Olorenshaw-Woods looking very unwell and Mrs Smith looking worried.

"I got her on the floor and did both mouth-to-mouth and cardiac massage until a doctor, who I didn't know but who happened to be in the pub, took over the breathing so I could concentrate on pumping.

"We couldn't get a pulse but the ambulance crew, who were on the scene very quickly, were able to by using a defibrillator."

Dr Russell Cowan, consultant physician at the hospital, said: "It could have meant the difference between life or death."

Glad to be alive - Renee Olorenshaw-Woods thanks paramedic Steve Keating, left, Debbie Reynolds, Dr Peter Jones and paramedic Wayne McHugh.

Picture: TERRY WEEDEN

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.