Worcestershire charity aiming to train more people up on how to perform CPR and use defibrillators

Heartstart Malvern say they have had around 100 people attend their sessions today on Restart a Heart Day

Heartstart Malvern aim to have trained 10,000 people how to perform CPR by 2027
Author: Elliot BurrowPublished 16th Oct 2024

A charity in Worcestershire which teaches people how to do CPR, says it's a vital for people to learn how to perform it.

Heartstart Malvern has trained over 5,000 members of the public the life saving skill since they started in 2017.

The group has been running sessions throughout Restart a Heart Day, with around 100 people attending the classes.

Chairman Richard Vakis-Lowe says knowing and being able to perform the skill can make a huge difference.

He said: "What we're trying to get across is that the actions of a bystander when someone has a cardiac arrest is absolutely imperative as to whether they will survive or not.

"So it's not the doctor or the nurse or the paramedic that will just save a person's life, it's the actions of the bystander which will save them.

"If people can do CPR and use a defibrillator then the survival rate can go up to as high as 70%, so that's a huge difference."

By the end of this October, the group say they will have also installed 36 defibrillators in Malvern.

They are aiming to have trained 10,000 people, and to have installed their 50th defibrillator by their 10th anniversary in 2027.

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