Sporting hero Lachie Stewart returned to the Meadow Centre in Dumbarton recently to personally thank staff who saved his life after he had a cardiac arrest while he was swimming.

He met with Ali Smith, Veronica Cole, Craig Dillon, Mark Meechan, Susan Pierce and Michael McCallum, who all played a part in his rescue in July.

Lachie, 75, from the Vale of Leven, a former distance runner who won gold for Scotland in the 10,000 metre run at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, took up swimming at the age of 65 after he gave up running.

In July he sank to the bottom of the pool when his heart stopped and one of his new friends Benjamin Scullion, 78, dived down to pull him out of the pool.

Lifeguards then carried out CPR and used a defibrillator twice to bring Lachie back to life.

Lachie, who has four children and four grandchildren, has now made a great recovery after having a mechanical valve fitted and a quadruple bypass.

He’s now getting back to his favourite hobby of creating model boats, while he also keeps himself fit by doing press-ups, leg raises and squats in front of the TV when the ads come on.

Lachie also enjoys walking at Loch Lomond Shores.

He said: “This was an emotional visit for me.

“I can’t thank the staff enough for saving my life and I’m looking forward to getting back into the pool as soon as I’m fit enough.”

Craig Dillon, senior leisure attendant with West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust, said: “It was a proud moment for our team to welcome Lachie back to the Meadow Centre, especially when he has come on so much since July.

“I don’t think he can wait to get back into the pool.

“He has been talking about attending the rehabilitation classes we run which will be a good start for him.

“We receive training every month, so as a team we were well equipped to deal with the situation and help ensure a good outcome for Lachie.”

Susan Pearson, who also attended to Lachie, added: “Lachie was a regular visitor to the Meadow Centre before this, so it has been really emotional seeing him again.

“Our reaction to the incident was automatic because that is what we are trained to do.

“We are so glad that we could help Lachie and he is recovering well.”

In addition to the defibrillator installed for use by staff at the Meadow Centre, Dumbarton and the Vale is also home to an ever-growing network of “public access defibrillators” which can be used to restart someone’s heart in an emergency.

Check out an online map with the latest defibrillator locations in Dumbarton, the Vale, Helensburgh, Lomond and the Trossachs online at trossachsdefibrillator.co.uk.