Mirfield Schoolchildren Set to Become Social Media Stars

11 October 2019

Primary schoolchildren in Mirfield are supporting Restart a Heart Day by sharing their views on heart health with Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS).

John Spikings, Community Defibrillation Trainer with YAS, interviewed pupils at Crossley Fields Junior and Infant School about everything from how to keep your hearts healthy to how you can help when someone’s heart stops.

The interviews will be shared on YAS’s social media channels in the build up to Restart a Heart Day (Wednesday 16 October 2019) when 40,000 students at 165 secondary schools across the county will be taught how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

John said: “A massive thank you to the children at Crossley Fields Junior and Infant School for taking part in the videos; they were really knowledgeable about needing to eat well and exercise to keep their hearts healthy. They also knew more than I was expecting about CPR which was particularly impressive.

“While we focus our Restart a Heart Day activity on teaching CPR to students at secondary schools because they are more physically and mentally able to cope in such a situation, it’s never too early to give children a basic introduction about what to do in the ultimate medical emergency when every second counts.”

Nick Long, Headteacher at Crossley Fields Junior and Infant School, said: “Staying healthy is a major part of, not just the curriculum we teach, but is prevalent in the world in which our children live. The more we can inform them about what will help if things go wrong is crucial. Working so closely with Yorkshire Ambulance Service has really been beneficial.”

More than 800 volunteers - off-duty ambulance staff, Community First Responders and staff from partner organisations - will be giving up their time to teach secondary school students how to perform CPR on Restart a Heart Day.

Currently in the UK, less than one (8.6%) in ten people survive a cardiac arrest. If we achieved the same survival rates of countries like Norway (25%), where CPR is taught in schools, an additional 100 lives could be saved each week - the equivalent of approximately 5,000 every year.

The event - sponsored by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity - is organised in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, which supplies free Call Push Rescue training kits (including manikins and a tutorial DVD) to participating schools as part of its Nation of Lifesavers campaign, Resuscitation Council (UK), St John Ambulance and other partners.

The videos can be viewed on the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Twitter and Facebook accounts or here.