A heart attack survivor is helping fund the cardiac rehabilitation service which aided his recovery.

After suffering a heart attack in 2009, Dorking entrepreneur Steve Critchley was given life-saving treatment at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, before spending eight weeks on the Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme at Epsom Hospital.

He has since set up a charity, Surrey Healthy Heart, which has donated £20,000 worth of new exercise equipment for Epsom Hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation programme over the past six years.

This month, Steve has donated two new treadmills, costing a total of £2,500, to the programme.

Steve said: “I feel privileged to be here, and have a huge sense of gratitude to Epsom Hospital, as I do to St George’s.

“I will never forget the great care I received from the Cardiac Rehabilitation Team at Epsom. Over the years, I have become great friends with (Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinical Nurse Specialist) Mary Evans and her team. I am so pleased to be able to support them and this fantastic service.

“The rehabilitation programme helped speed up my recovery 100 per cent. I would urge anyone who has suffered from a cardiac event to attend rehabilitation as it gives people the opportunity to receive support and advice alongside those who have been through the same experience.”

As well as his charitable work, Steve also gives talks on the rehabilitation programme roughly every six to eight weeks. He added: “As I have been through something similar, I feel able to relate to them. I enjoy giving the talks, and hope the people on the programme enjoy them too!”

Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinical Nurse Specialist Mary Evans explained: “Cardiac rehabilitation is an incredibly important part of the treatment and recovery of people who have experienced a cardiac event. We are very proud of the work that we do, and feel privileged to be able to help people at a time when they need it most.

“It is always a pleasure to see Steve, and we are delighted that he continues to do so well. We are extremely grateful for his generous support, and for giving up his time to support those currently completing the rehabilitation programme. Our patient feedback tells us that Steve’s talks are helpful to their recovery as listening to someone who has been through a similar life changing event is essential to them.

“It’s great to hear we made such a difference to Steve, but now he is the one who is making a real difference for us and our patients.”

To find out more Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme, visit www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/cardiology