Lancashire Lifesavers

Would you know what to do if a loved one suffered a cardiac arrest?

If not, now is the time to become a Lancashire Lifesaver!

BBC Radio Lancashire – along with Lancashire County Council, the North West Ambulance Service, Lancashire Adult Learning and Blackburn with Darwen Adult Learning are campaigning to train as main people across the county as possible.

For details of upcoming sessions and for information about booking a place on one of them, please call 0345 305 9000 (calls charged at local rate).

The Lancashire Lifesavers campaign is the brainchild of BBC Radio Lancashire's political reporter Mike Stevens, who helped to save the life of former county councillor Tony Jones, who suffered a cardiac arrest while attending full council.

Mike said: "Combining the resources of the BBC with Lancashire County Council, the North West Ambulance Service, Lancashire Adult Learning and Blackburn with Darwen Adult Learning means we'll be able to deliver CPR training to every part of Lancashire.

"This is a vital skill, which will enable more and more people to respond in an emergency and ultimately save lives."

Christopher Hyde, Community Resuscitation Manager for NWAS, said: "The chance of survival is reduced by 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation.

"It's vital that people in the community are made aware of what to do in the event of a cardiac arrest and are able to start life-saving work even before we’re able to get there, which is why we’re urging as many people as possible to sign up to learn the simple skills you need.

"Early CPR and defibrillation gives patients in a cardiac arrest the best possible chance, which is why it's so important that community access defibrillators are available in as many places as possible.

"In the event of a cardiac arrest, dial 999 as soon as possible and our emergency medical dispatcher will give you all the instructions you need. They’ll let you know if there is a defibrillator nearby and how to access it."

What is CPR?

Approximately 30,000 people in the UK suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest every year and currently only 1 in 10 people survive. However, if someone receives CPR very quickly following the cardiac arrest there is a significant increase in the chance of survival.

CPR helps artificially keep the blood pumping around the body until medical help arrives.

The important thing is that whatever you do you cannot do it wrong or put them in a worse position - with a little bit of training you could help save a life.

As part of the #LancashireLifesavers project, Lancashire County Council has invested £30,000 in lifesaving equipment, which will be installed across the county.

People were asked to nominate a suitable location for the devices to be installed, with dozens of nominations being received.

Venues include nature reserves, pubs, schools, shops, sports clubs and places of worship.

County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "I am delighted that this lifesaving equipment is to be installed across Lancashire, and that it is the County Council that is helping to make this happen.

"Lancashire Lifesavers has been an absolutely brilliant campaign.

"More than 2,500 people have been trained in how to give CPR, including myself, through the campaign and now it is great to know that lifesaving equipment will soon be available to help save lives all across the county.

"Around 30,000 cardiac arrests happen out of hospital in the UK every year. If people receive CPR quickly from someone who is trained to use a defibrillator, they have a much better chance of surviving and recovering."

Chris Hyde, Community Resuscitation Manager at NWAS, said: "We really hope that these defibrillators will make a real difference should someone suffer from a cardiac arrest.

"We have a simple message here at NWAS. The chance of survival is reduced by 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation, so the more people who have CPR training and access to defibrillators the better.

"The most important thing is to act quickly as just a few minutes can make all the difference."

The complete list of venues who will receive equipment is:

Aighton, Bailey and Chaigley Parish Council, Ribble Valley - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Brockholes Nature Reserve - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Child Action North West, Wilpshire - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Chorley Sea Cadets - Defibrillator

Church of St Mary of the Assumption, Burnley - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Coates Lane Primary School, Barnoldswick - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Farm Yard Ales, Cockerham - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Gressingham Parish Council - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Hillingdon SPAR, Burnley - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Jamea Masjid, Preston - Defibrillator

Kirkham Conservative Club - Cabinet

Lady Elsie Finney House, Preston - Defibrillator

Lancaster Canal Marina, Garstang - Defibrillator

Lancaster Cricket and Sports Club - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, Rufford - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Poulton-le-Fylde Railway Station - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Preston City Centre – Defibrillator and Cabinet

Roberts and Co, Penwortham - Defibrillator and Cabinet

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Fleetwood - Cabinet

St Nicholas Church Of England Primary School, Church - Defibrillator and Cabinet

The Black Dog, Oswaldtwistle - Defibrillator and Cabinet

The Golden Lion, Higher Wheelton, Chorley - Cabinet

The Parish of Saint Laurence Church of England Primary School, Chorley - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Vernon Carus Cricket and Sports Club, Penwortham - Cabinet

Walton Summit Industrial Estate, Bamber Bridge - Defibrillator

Whitworth Library - Defibrillator and Cabinet

Wyre Vale Residential Park, Garstang - Defibrillator