More than 300 Kenilworth School students trained in CPR

Kenilworth School students received training in CPR at an event held in conjunction with World Restart a Heart Day.
Students who went through the CPR training at Kenilworth SchoolStudents who went through the CPR training at Kenilworth School
Students who went through the CPR training at Kenilworth School

Kenilworth HeartSafe in partnership with Kenilworth School trained around 300 year 7-students in heart resuscitation techniques on Wednesday October 16.

The training included the use of films showing simulated life saving techniques, talks and demonstrations followed by hands-on practical use of CPR techniques and defibrillators by every pupil.

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Keith Grierson, the founder of Kenilworth HeartSafe, said: “It's not for an academic or certified qualification, but it gives them the sufficient basic skills so they can prolong life until an ambulance gets there.”

The event was a follow up to an event last year at Kenilworth School when all students received similar instruction.

The event took place on World Restart a Heart Day, an annual initiative led by the Resuscitation Council (UK) in partnership with The British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross and St John Ambulance, which aims to improve the low numbers of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

On and around Wednesday October 16, 2019, an alliance of organisations all over the world came together to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and increase the number of people trained in life saving CPR by organising and facilitating training events.

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It's the sixth annual Restart a Heart campaign and the second annual World Restart a Heart (WRSAH) campaign.

The event was managed by Seringa Dudley a member of Kenilworth HeartSafe who is a professional first aid trainer.

The Kenilworth HeartSafe group, launched last year under the umbrella of Warwickshire Hearts, a local registered charity, that has been working to make sure there are sufficient number of defibrillators available to be used across the town.

The mission of Kenilworth HeartSafe is to train all residents of the town over the age of 7 in CPR and defibrillator techniques.

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The Kenilworth School event took place in two separate halls with one group led by Seringa and the other by Ryan Smith, a non-clinical partner at Abbey Medical Centre.

Sixteen volunteer members of Kenilworth HeartSafe provided training support, including Dr. Christopher Smith of the University of Warwick Medical School, who also brought three medical students with him.

All of the training team were extremely impressed with the attentiveness and courtesy shown to them by the students.

Kenilworth School Headteacher Hayden Abbot said "I am very pleased that, with the support of the volunteers from Kenilworth HeartSafe, our Year 7 students were able to benefit from this valuable training. Now all students who took part have the skills to Restart a Heart".

The School and Kenilworth HeartSafe hope to make this a regular annual event.

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