East Lancashire children receive life-saving defibrillator lessons (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire children receive life-saving defibrillator lessons

3:00pm Friday 29th June 2012 in News By Catherine Pye, Health reporter

LESSONS on how to use a defibrillator and on giving CPR are part of the timetable for a new set of Heart Schools across East Lancashire.

Hapton-based heart charity Pumping Marvellous has just completed a session with 70 junior school pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn, and has plans to roll the course out to Rosegrove Nursery School in Burnley, Mount Carmel in Accrington, St Barnabas and St Paul’s Primary in Blackburn, and another school in Rossendale.

As well as equipment know-how from experts at the British Red Cross, charity founder Nick Hartshorne-Evans, has recruited hospital nurses and restauranteurs to encourage healthy lifestyles from a young age.

Nick said: “We decided to start this scheme because the cardio vascular profile of East Lancashire, and because we feel the right message has to start early.

“We used Rosegrove Nursery as an ideas platform at first, showing toddlers what a raspberry looked like, and that you can make smoothies by combining a strawberry, a banana and some low fat yogurt. Then, the older children are taught how the heart works, the effects of exercise on the heart, the effects of alcohol, smoking and drugs on the heart, and how to give first aid.

“We try to make it fun by having very hands-on lessons.

With the help of teachers, Nick sets age-suitable homework on how the heart works, and each pupil receives a goody bag of health-related advice.

He added: “We now have 70 children who know how to use a defibrillator.”