People in Huntingdonshire are being offered the chance to brush up on their life-saving skills through a series of session hosted by St John Ambulance.

Working with the Resuscitation Council and other partners, St John Ambulance’s first aid demonstrations will contribute to its ambition of teaching more than 200,000 people key life-saving skills this month.

While Restart a Heart Day is next Wednesday (October 17), St John Ambulance’s trained volunteers around the county will be arranging demos across Huntingdonshire to give people more opportunities to attend.

These sessions, which last an hour, are free to attend and will include practical information on how to deliver cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and deliver shocks to the heart with a defibrillator.

There are sessions taking place in Huntingdon and St Neots, alongside sessions further afield in Peterborough.

Currently, only one in 10 people in the UK survives a cardiac arrest out of hospital and St John Ambulance and its Restart a Heart partners want to change that. 

Chances of survival double when someone gives immediate CPR and significantly increases further when a defibrillator is used.

Lee Taylor, district manager for St John Ambulance in Cambridgeshire, said: “We’re really pleased to be participating in this year’s Restart a Heart campaign. A cardiac arrest can happen at any time and without warning so we’re looking forward to sharing knowledge of first aid techniques so that more people can step forward when confronted with a heart-related emergency, making communities safer.

“Come and see us at our Restart a Heart events and we’ll show you what to do in a cardiac arrest situation and how to use first aid combined with a defibrillator to improve someone’s chances of survival.”

The campaign will be promoted widely on social media. To join in the conversation, search for the hashtag #RestartAHeart. To find out more about the campaign online and also to see a full list of demos please visit www.sja.org.uk/restartaheart.

Demos are being delivered by Cambridgeshire volunteers on:

October 13 – Huntingdon, St John Ambulance HQ, Mayfield Road – 10am-11am and 11.30am-12.30pm

October 15 – Huntingdon, St John Ambulance HQ, Mayfield Road – 7.30pm-9.30pm

October 17 – St Neots, One Leisure St Neots, Barford Road, Eynesbury – 8pm-9pm

October 19 – Peterborough, St John Ambulance HQ, 38A Cowgate – 7pm-8.30pm

October 27 – Peterborough, Town Hall, Bridge Street – 10am-11.30am.