Free life saving skills are being taught in October to residents across Lancashire with St John Ambulance for Restart a Heart 2022.
St John Ambulance volunteers in Lancashire are once again giving free demonstrations of life saving skills as part of the annual Restart a Heart campaign in October.
This year is the ninth Restart a Heart and the fifth World Restart a Heart campaign.
Led by the Resuscitation Council UK, the partners in Restart a Heart include St John, The British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and Improvement, Save a Life Scotland, Save a Life Cymru, Ambulance Services and Universities.
While Restart a Heart Day is on Sunday, October 16, St John’s highly trained volunteers have arranged demos in locations around the country between October 5 and 28 to give people opportunities to attend and learn essential first aid skills.
Each session is free to attend and includes practical information on how to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), how to understand the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack, and how to deliver shocks to the heart with a defibrillator.
It is estimated that annually around 30,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and that for every minute that passes following a cardiac arrest and before CPR is commenced and a defibrillator deployed, the chances of a patient surviving drops by 10 per cent.
In 2022, still less than one person in ten survives an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The aim of this year’s campaign is to continue to build confidence among the public in performing CPR and using a defibrillator, and to reach out to new audiences, diverse communities, and those in so-called ‘hotspot’ communities (areas where cardiac arrest rates are higher than the UK average and bystander CPR rates are lower than average) to ensure that everyone has a chance to learn CPR - and that those having a sudden cardiac arrest have their best chance of survival.
Dr Lynn Thomas, Medical Director at St John Ambulance, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with our partners again on another Restart a Heart campaign.
"Anyone can be affected by a sudden cardiac arrest at any time, and without intervention, the person will quickly die, so I’d absolutely encourage readers to find a local demo to attend and to feel invited, included and involved in this year’s campaign.
“Every extra person who learns these vital skills is someone who could potentially save a life and help someone when they most need it.
"We look forward to seeing everyone at our demos and to another successful Restart a Heart campaign this year.”
People in Lancashire can attend the following demonstrations by St John volunteers:
- Thursday 13 October – 7.30-9.30pm – St John Ambulance HQ, Corner of Park Road and Hornby Road, Blackpool FY1 4HT
- Thursday 13 October – 7.30-8.30pm – Eaves Green Community Centre, 35 Cottage Fields, Chorley PR7 3QE
- Monday 17 October – 7.30-9.30pm – St John Ambulance HQ, Corner of Park Road and Hornby Road, Blackpool FY1 4HT
- Monday 17 October – 7.15pm, 8pm, 9pm – Kirkham Community Centre, Mill Street, Kirkham PR4 2AN
- Tuesday 18 October – 7.15-9.15pm – Astley Village Community Centre, 10 Hall Gate, Chorley PR7 1XA
- Thursday 20 October – 7.30-9.30pm – St John Ambulance HQ, Corner of Park Road and Hornby Road, Blackpool FY1 4HT
- Thursday 20 October – 7.30-8.30pm – Eaves Green Community Centre, 35 Cottage Fields, Chorley PR7 3QE
To attend a session, please email james.tout@sja.org.uk (for Blackpool), julie.whitaker@sja.org.uk (for Kirkham) or ian.mckendrick@sja.org.uk (for Chorley) to reserve a place.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here