AMBULANCE staff have launched a series of CPR sessions in Lancashire schools, in a bid to reduce some of the worst heart disease rates in the country.

Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Burnley all feature in the top ten boroughs for heart disease, as revealed in the Lancashire Telegraph in April.

Now North West Ambulance Service [NWAS] is going into several schools, including Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn, to teach children some basic life support skills, including cardio pulmonary resuscitation and using a defibrillator.

Andy Redgrave, community engagement manager at NWAS, said: “Clearly every second counts when an individual goes into cardiac arrest and young people have a vital role to play in helping victims when incidents like this happen.

“By learning basic skills their actions could help to save a life, potentially in their own school.

“The younger an individual learns such a skill, the greater the potential benefit.

“We are confident that if more people were trained in life saving skills and if more defibrillators are placed in public places, up to half of the deaths by cardiac arrest could potentially be prevented.”

QEGS pupils also created a giant collage of their hand prints on a specially-prepared ‘Your Hands Can Save Lives!’ campaign poster, and watched a video from the British Heart Foundation called ‘Mini Vinnie’, which is linked to the charity’s television campaign of last year fronted by former footballer Vinnie Jones.

To find out how to receive training you can visit the Cardiac Smart website at cardiacsmart.nwas.nhs.uk or visit www.nwas.nhs.uk