THOUSANDS of schoolchildren across North Yorkshire have learned how to save lives as part of Restart a Heart day.

Earlier this year, teenager Alex Cowes was saved by his teachers when he collapsed during a PE lesson at Fulford School. The teaching team had learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at last year's first Restart a Heart Day.

Today's event saw Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) visit 88 secondary schools across the county to teach more than 20,000 children - in the biggest event of its kind ever seen in the world.

One of the pupils to take part in the training event was 15-year-old Josh Kimberling, of Poppleton, whose mum Caroline was resuscitated by passers-by almost a year ago.

Caroline Kimberling, 37, (pictured below with her family) was at Vue cinema in Clifton Moor with two of her four children when she went into cardiac arrest. She owes her life to quick-thinking bystanders who started CPR and has now made a full recovery.

York Press:

Josh, a pupil at Manor Church of England Academy, Nether Poppleton, near York, said: “I’m really pleased that my school is taking part in Restart a Heart Day this year, especially after what happened to my mum. It’s really important that as many people as possible know how to do CPR; if it hadn’t been for those passers-by who did CPR on my mum when she collapsed, the chances are that she wouldn’t be here today.”

Over 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year. If this happens in front of a bystander who starts CPR immediately before the arrival of the ambulance, the patient’s chances of survival double.

Jason Carlyon, Resuscitation Manager for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “As an ambulance trust we have set ourselves a target of teaching CPR to one million people over the next five years. This demonstrates how committed we are to providing our cardiac arrest patients with the best possible chances of survival.

“We are incredibly proud of our initiative to teach CPR to more than 20,000 children in one day; it’s going to be an awesome event which will provide our communities with even more people who are equipped with the skills to save a life.”

Simon Gillespie, chief executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: “If we are to improve survival rates for out of hospital cardiac arrests we need more people with the skills and confidence to carry out life-saving CPR. Performing CPR in those vital, immediate minutes after a cardiac arrest can, in some cases, double a person’s chance of survival.

“By training thousands of young people across Yorkshire, we will take another step closer to becoming a Nation of Lifesavers, where more people will be prepared to step in and help when someone else’s life depends on it.”

Schools to take part yesterday included Fulford School, York, Norton College, Barlby High School, Selby High School, Brayton High School, Malton School, Tadcaster Grammar School, Canon Lee School, York, Selby College, York College, Beverley Grammar School and Howden School.