Helston town councillor David Swift remains in hospital in the critical care ward.

Mr Swift, husband of long-serving town councillor Sue Swift, collapsed at work over the Easter weekend and was airlifted to Truro’s Royal Cornwall Hospital.

While still being treated in the critical care ward, Mr Swift is said to be making progress.

Announcing the worrying turn of events to Mr Swift’s fellow council members, at a meeting to discuss the town plan last week, mayor Jonathan Radford-Gaby said their colleague had suffered a major cardiac arrest.

He added: “I gave Sue our best wishes and I know I spoke for all members when I said that.”

Mrs Swift said this week she could not praise the ward staff enough, adding: “They have been absolutely wonderful in their care and attention to David and their unstinting support for me, from the consultants down, and I will forever be grateful for what they are doing.”

His illness means that Mrs Swift, who has served local government for 25 years, is withdrawing from the forthcoming town council elections on May 2.

Not only has she served Helston and Porthleven while on the borough council and then the town council, but she also represented Wendron at Kerrier District Council – where she served as chairman for a term – and the Helston North and Wendron division at Cornwall County Council.

Mrs Swift has also been the chairman of Cornwall Association Local Councils for four years and sat on the executive for 12.

With two and a half decades of dedicated service to the town, Mrs Swift will surely be missed – although she has promised to “still keep an eye on things” from her albeit slightly removed position.