A BEREAVED Haworth resident whose partner died of a massive heart attack while the Tour de France raced through the village has welcomed a plan to install a defibrillator in Main Street.

Jo-Jo Carlisle’s partner Sam Carlisle, 36, died on July 6 last year outside Parkside Social Club in Butt Lane.

The musician had been taking his four-year-old daughter, Skye, to meet her mother Jo-Jo, who was serving refreshments at the club, when suddenly he became violently ill. He managed to push his daughter into the club before collapsing.

He was taken to Airedale Hospital but efforts to resuscitate him failed.

Miss Carlisle said her partner’s death had been so sudden she did not know whether a nearby defibrillator could have saved him.

“But if it saves one other life it’s definitely worth it,” she added. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. It could really make every difference.”

The defibrillator plan is a joint project between Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council and the Rotary Club of Haworth and Worth Valley.

Funding for the machine and its cabinet was secured by the Rotary club, which asked the parish council to take on supervision of the device once it is installed.

Parish councillor, Angel Kershaw, said once agreement is reached with Bradford Council, it is hoped to be able to locate the defibrillator in the visitor information centre, at the top of Main Street.

She said such devices save lives, and hopes the Haworth machine can be in place before the summer brings thousands of visitors to the village.

Miss Carlisle said once her partner collapsed, it seemed to her to take “forever” for paramedics to arrive, though other people later told her the emergency staff responded very quickly.

“I couldn’t go in the ambulance with him because there wasn’t enough space, but somehow I knew there and then he had gone,” she added.

“I’m just glad he’d managed to bring our daughter to safety.

“He started complaining of chest pains at Easter time and he was supposed to have an MRI scan at the end of July, but he never made it.

“My daughter and I are both still struggling. It’s only coming up to one year, so it’s early days. Skye still misses her daddy, and whenever a certain songs comes on, we both start crying.

“Sam was a brilliant musician and guitarist. He just used to pick up his guitar, listen to a song and be able to play it.”

Mr Carlisle was a well-known figure in the local music scene, having played with bands such as The Undecided, GetGuns and Wet Paint.