Community responders deliver lifesaving CPR training across local schools and youth groups for World Restart a Heart Week
As part of World Restart a Heart Week, volunteers from South Northants Community Responders (SNCR) have been busy teaching vital CPR skills to hundreds of young people across local schools and youth organisations.
The team began their week on Monday Morning with a full day at Wootton Primary School, where every pupil had the opportunity to learn how to recognise someone who is not breathing and make a 999 call, followed by 160 of the older pupils being taught how to perform CPR and use an Automated External Defibrillator or AED. Later that evening the team went on to teach the Harpole Girl Guides. Then, on Tuesday, they continued their campaign at Kingsthorpe College, delivering interactive training to students and staff alike. The team will round off the week with another session on Thursday for Harpole Rangers.
World Restart a Heart Week is a global initiative led in the UK by the Resuscitation Council UK and supported by ambulance services nationwide. Its aim is to raise awareness of cardiac arrest and to equip as many people as possible with the confidence to perform CPR.
During each session, participants learned how to recognise when someone is unresponsive and not breathing, how to call 999, and how to perform effective chest compressions while waiting for help to arrive. They also had the opportunity to see how an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) works and to practise CPR on training manikins under the guidance of experienced Community First Responders.
Simon Crossley, volunteer and spokesperson for South Northants Community Responders, said: “It’s been an incredible few days already delivering these sessions and seeing so many children and young people eager to learn lifesaving skills. Starting CPR quickly can make the difference between life and death, and it’s fantastic to see local schools and youth groups embracing this initiative with such enthusiasm and creating a new generation of lifesavers.”
South Northants Community Responders are volunteers trained by East Midlands Ambulance Service to attend 999 medical emergencies in their area, providing immediate care until an ambulance arrives. The group relies entirely on public donations and community support to fund their lifesaving equipment, training, and response vehicles.
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About South Northants Community Responders (SNCR):
South Northants Community Responders is a registered charity made up of volunteers who give their time to provide emergency first response within the local community. Working in partnership with East Midlands Ambulance Service, SNCR responders are dispatched to life-threatening calls such as cardiac arrests, breathing difficulties, and collapses — often arriving within minutes to start lifesaving care.
If you wish to have an input into how to save a life please email:
Website: www.sncr.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/SouthNorthantsCommunityResponders