STUDENTS from Lady Lumley's School in Pickering have taken part in a national campaign to teach life-saving skills.

Supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), and the Resuscitation Council (UK), the training session was the biggest event of its kind ever staged in the UK.

Lady Lumley's was one of 50 schools taking part in the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust initiative to teach these vital skills to around 11,800 children across the county as part of European Restart a Heart Day.

Those involved including former Bolton Midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match in 2012.

Fabrice went to Fulford School in York to watch as hundreds of pupils were taught cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) - a technique which undoubtedly helped to save his life. He was joined by cardiologist Dr Andrew Deaner who helped on the pitch when he collapsed.

Jason Carlyon, Clinical Development Manager for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “The event exceeded all of our expectations, it was a huge success thanks to the support of everyone involved.

"This includes all the off-duty ambulance staff, community first responders and British Heart Foundation volunteers who delivered the training and the schools who signed up to take part in this valuable lesson. The schoolchildren were enthusiastic and excited to be a part of such a huge and important initiative.

“Over 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year and 80% of these happen in the home, often in front of loved ones. Less than one in ten people survive, partly because people don’t have the skills or confidence to perform CPR prior to the arrival of an ambulance. We are committed to passing on our life-saving skills to members of the public so that survival rates improve and this event is a prime example of that.”

The event marked the launch of the BHF’s new quicker and simpler training programme that could lead to thousands more children learning CPR across the country.

New BHF kits were used to train children on the day and will leave a legacy at schools across Yorkshire so they can continue to train pupils in the future. The charity’s ambition is to create a ‘Nation of Lifesavers’ in which all children leave school with the skills to save a life in an emergency.

Year 12 students at Lady Lumley's School, Elise Symes-Turnbull, said: "Hopefully, we will not ever be called on to perform CPR in real life, but if we are, it is reassuring to know that we might help someone survive a heart attack.

"We believe that this day is a great initiative, and it was fantastic to be a part of such a large project."

More information about the Resuscitation Council (UK) is available at www.resus.org.uk