15 minutes to learn how to save a life

15 minutes to learn how to save a life
Thanks to Cheltenham Town Football Club (CTFC) and Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), residents of Cheltenham have the opportunity to learn how to save a life!

On Wednesday, April 10, volunteers from GWAAC will be at the Completely-Suzuki Stadium on Whaddon Road from 10am to 3pm teaching this vital skill.

This is an entirely free open-access session where attendees will be given training in CPR and the use of a defibrillator. Children are welcome and all attendees will have a certificate to take home.

Please take 15 minutes out of your day to drop in and learn how to save a life.

On Tuesday evening, April 9, at the Carlisle match, CTFC have kindly given permission for GWAAC to collect for the charity to help fund their lifesaving service.

Luke Saunders, commercial marketing manager at CTFC, said: "We're excited to be a part of providing this vital training opportunity for Cheltenham. The tragic death of a supporter at a recent away match further highlighted the need for knowledge of how to react in case of a cardiac arrest.

"We're really looking forward to getting the community involved in the training so local people are upskilled and confident by hosting sessions in our Premier Suite at the stadium."

Early CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and defibrillation can raise survival rates from less than one in 10 to more than seven in 10.

GWAAC's critical care doctors, advanced clinical practitioners, and specialist paramedics in critical care provide emergency pre-hospital care to around 2,000 people a year; people who are in a condition so grave that they need specialist skills and equipment at the scene.

They treat over 500 cardiac arrest patients a year, yet despite the extraordinary skills, equipment and speed the crew brings to the scene, they are the first to say that patient survival is highly dependent on other key steps prior to their arrival.

Early CPR and defibrillation are vital links in the chain of survival; doing both can dramatically increase survival rates. This is why it is so important that the community knows how to use CPR and defibrillation if it is required.

GWAAC's community and schools training program will mean more people are likely to survive, like Forrest Wheeler who collapsed in Pittville Park, Cheltenham. Thanks to early CPR, early defibrillation, and GWAAC's critical care team who put Forrest in an induced coma, he is still here.

Forrest said: "If anyone takes anything away from my story, it's that if you have any hesitations about using a defibrillator - don't. My message is, just use it. The machine tells you what to do, it's so easy and it's better to give it a go than not try at all."