It was worthwhile being guest speaker at a Stockton Borough Council conference this morning - in more ways than I expected.

As well as being part of an interesting discussion on social media, I came across a story which will be on our front page tomorrow.

I heard how father-of-three Eric Atkinson's life had been saved by a defibrillator after he suffered a heart attack while exercising in the gym at Billingham Forum.

Quick-thinking Forum staff used their training to keep 70-year-old Mr Atkinson alive until paramedics arrived.

It is a perfect case study to support the campaign we launched only yesterday, calling for greater investment in defibrillators in public places and, especially, gyms.

A survey carried out by our reporters has shown that the majority of public sector gyms have defibrillators - but 80 per cent of private gyms do not.

Mr Atkinson says on our front page tomorrow: "I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for the staff at Billingham Forum and that defibrillator."

The campaign - called "A Chance To Live" - has also been bolstered by Shadow health Secretary Andy Burnham calling for a national plan to reduce sudden deaths from cardiac arrest. Mr Burnham wants the plan to include more defibrillators being placed in public places such as sports clubs, schools, shopping centres and libraries.

Our campaign was launched after hearing how Darlington father-of-four Mike Brough, 51, was also saved thanks to a defibrillator after he collapsed at the town's Dolphin Centre.