Peterborough and Cambridgeshire schools urged to sign up for Restart a Heart Day

This year, Restart a Heart Day will take place on Friday, October 16 and the East of England Ambulance Service hopes to see even more involvement.

Around 30,000 people go into cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year. The chances of surviving drop 10 per cent a minute if CPR is not started and survival rates are less than one in 10.

In some countries that already teach CPR in schools, cardiac arrest survival rates are more than double those of the UK. This is why all children in England will be taught CPR in secondary schools as part of the curriculum from September.

Andrew Barlow, community response manager at the ambulance service, said: “Each year we take part in Restart a Heart, the country’s biggest mass CPR training event, and we’re incredibly proud to be continuing to do our part as this event goes global.

“We want to visit as many schools as possible so we can teach this important and live-saving skill to as many people as we can.

“It only takes a minute to fill out the application form to get involved, which helps to equip the next generation of lifesavers with the vital CPR skills.”

Teachers in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire are being urged to apply as soon as possible so the ambulance service’s staff and volunteers can visit their school and teach lifesaving skills to students.

Schools wanting to sign up should complete the sign up form at: https://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/your-service/campaigns/restart-a-heart-school-sign-up.htm.