In aid of Restart a Heart Day 2022 (Sunday, 16th October), Lancashire Adult Learning (LAL) are teaming up with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in order to provide free CPR courses across Lancashire.
Members of the public will once again have the opportunity to attend drop-in classes teaching important, life-saving skills, such as; CPR, defibrillator use and heart issue detection. This will make a change from last year’s event which had to take place virtually, via Zoom, due to the lockdown restrictions.
The aim of the Restart a Heart initiative, according to the BHF, is to “help raise awareness of cardiac arrest and give everyday people life-saving skills and the confidence to use them.”
The nationwide initiative is being promoted in the wake of rising cardiac fatalities in the UK. The BHF suggest that having as many confident deliverers of CPR in the family home as possible can be vital to preventing family heartache, both figuratively and literally.
“Approximately 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen every year in the UK. Sadly, less than 1 in 10 people survive these cardiac arrests. Performing CPR can more than double the chances of survival in some cases” states the BHF.
Drop-in centres, provided by LAL, will be based across Lancashire and are open at the following times for those interested in gaining vital CPR skills:
The Waterside Centre, Accrington; Friday 14th October, 9:30am – 12pm
St Mary’s Community Centre, Leyland; Thursday 20th October, 10:30am – 2:30pm
The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster; Tuesday 18th October, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
No pre-sign-up is required for these classes, and they are available to anyone over the age of nineteen, so feel free to turn up on the day. A representative from LAL said; “Mention to your friends and family, as adults you’ll never know when you’ll need CPR. It is much better to have these skills and not need them than need them and not have them”.
Furthermore, the Curriculum Leader for Health and Social Care with LAL, Deborah Ormandy, said; “Learning how to save a life is easier than ever, whether you’ve learnt CPR before, or it is your first time, our drop-in sessions provide an opportunity to gain the skills and confidence to help if someone collapses and stops breathing normally.
“Just 15 minutes of your time can equip you with the confidence and skills to save a life!”
For more information on the Restart a Heart initiative and for further information and support on heart-related health issues, please visit the British Heart Foundation website. To find out more about free courses and offers from LAL then visit https://www.lal.ac.uk.
