A STREET-SIDE hero who tried to save the life of a pensioner has been honoured for his efforts with an award from the Royal Humane Society.

Gary Worgan, of Croesyceiliog , was presented with the certificate recognising the heroic action he undertook to resuscitate Gwilym Fry, an 83-year-old who was taken ill at the wheel of his car on June 1.

Gary, a trained first-aider, battled for over ten minutes to save the elderly man’s life while other members of the public rang for an ambulance.

Mr Fry was sadly pronounced dead on his arrival at Nevill Hall.

A small award-giving ceremony in the Angel Hotel drawing room earlier this week was attended by Mr Fry’s family and Gary’s work colleagues, along with local police officers.

Presenting the framed certificate was Monmouthshire MP David Davies, who said, “It is my pleasure to be here to give thanks to Gary and to commend him for his actions, even if it is under tragic circumstances.”

He added, “I would also like to give thanks to Amy Evans, the police officer who responded to the call on that day, you are both very deserving of this recognition.”

Mr Fry’s family also presented Amy with a bouquet of flowers for the part she played that day.

Gary, who usually works as a street vendor giving legal advice from a stall outside B&M, was nominated for the award by Mr Fry’s daughter, Jeanne Fry-Thomas.

Jeanne, a director for Bidmead Cook estate agents, added her personal thanks during the ceremony.

“It is a great comfort to me that my father wasn’t alone in his last minutes, and nobody could have done any more than Gary did to help him,” she said.

She added, “This isn’t the first time that Gary has tried to help someone like this, so I thought it deserved an official thank you.”

Gary, who learned first-aid during his previous career at ASDA, used his expertise in a similar life-saving attempt in Blackwood last year.

Throughout the proceedings, Gary was quiet and humble.

But he did say, “I feel so honoured to receive this award, even though the circumstances are so sad.

“I’m going to continue to use my first-aid training when I can.”

Gary also spoke about how crucially important he thinks teaching first-aid to the public is, and suggested that secondary schools could incorporate it into the curriculum.

His colleague Howard Griffiths, from Cardiff-based law firm Hugh James, said, “Gary is lost for words, he is usually so outgoing but I think this has affected him quite deeply.”

Inspector Huw Jones of Gwent Police commended his officer, Amy Evans, for her work with Gary.

He said, “Amy and our other officers often take the incidents they encounter in their stride, it’s part and parcel of the job.

“But today has allowed us to see that every call we take is an important event for the families affected.”