North West Ambulance Service has teamed up with Lancashire Adult Learning to offer FREE online sessions teaching people how to save a life using CPR and first aid.

Taking place on national Restart a Heart day, Thursday October 15, the free online event will run between 8pm and 8.30pm and aims to train as many people as possible across Lancashire with vital lifesaving skills to become Lancashire lifesavers.

Delivered through Zoom, it will support adult learners to understand the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest, as well as providing guidance on the correct compression technique, and how to remain calm in a lifesaving situation.

On Friday October 16, LAL will also be supporting primary and secondary school-age children with these essential skills with the aim of creating an online First Aid Flash Mob.

Knowledge to help save a life will be delivered through two online sessions:

• Children in Reception – Year 5: 1.30pm – 1.50pm

• Children in Years 6 – 11: 2.10pm – 2.30pm

The sessions will be delivered by a qualified first aid teacher from Lancashire Adult Learning and a key partner from the North West Ambulance Service via Zoom, direct to the classroom.

Approximately 60,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year and currently only one in 10 people survive.

What’s more, the chance of survival is reduced by 10 percent for every minute without CPR and defibrillation.

Curriculum leader for health and wellbeing at Lancashire Adult Learning, Sarah Haworth, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with our partner the North West Ambulance Service again to deliver these valuable sessions on Restart a Heart day, which has already seen LAL support hundreds and hundreds of adult learners right across Lancashire to develop essential lifesaving skills.

“We’re aiming to train as many Lancashire lifesavers as we can on Restart a Heart day, and these are skills that can be learned by people of all ages, which is why we are running sessions for adult learners and schoolchildren."

Learners looking to sign up for the event on October 15 should visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/restart-a-heart-day-free-online-event-lancashire-residents-tickets.

Any schools interested in taking part in the Lancashire lifesavers initiative for Restart a Heart day should contact Laura Myers at: laura.myers@nelsongroup.ac.uk

Visit lal.ac.uk/what-we-do/community-courses/first-aid/ to see what courses are currently available.

Further information about Lancashire Adult Learning can be found at lal.ac.uk or by calling 0333 003 1717.