SCHOOLS are invited to sign up to free CPR training - which last year saved the life of a 15-year-old York student who collapsed in a games lesson.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) runs the annual Restart a Heart Day to teach secondary school children and teachers what to do if someone suffers cardiac arrest.

The lessons saved the life of Alex Cowes who suffered cardiac arrest in a games lesson at Fulford School last year.

Having gone through the training just months before, teachers and receptionists worked together to carry out CPR and used a defibrillator to shock his heart back into action.

Now YAS is inviting any schools that want to take part in this year's training on Tuesday, October 18, to sign up.

Jason Carlyon, resuscitation manager for YAS, said: “Restart a Heart Day is becoming a well-established date on Yorkshire’s calendar as a time when thousands of youngsters learn how to save the life of a loved one or a stranger who is suffering a cardiac arrest.

“Many people don’t realise that if someone suffers a cardiac arrest in front of a bystander, who immediately starts CPR before the arrival of the ambulance service, their chances of survival double.

“Currently in the UK, bystanders only get involved in doing CPR in 43 per cent of cardiac arrests, compared to 73 per cent in Norway where the survival rate is considerably higher. The evidence in favour of members of the public learning CPR is obvious. So we would appeal to as many secondary schools as possible to take part in Restart a Heart Day 2016 and enable our staff and volunteers to pass on their skills to pupils who will then have this valuable skill for life.”

Currently in the UK, less than one in ten people survive a cardiac arrest. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) predicts that if the UK achieved the same survival rates of countries like Norway - which has a 25 per cent survival rate - where CPR is taught in schools.

The event has been organised in conjunction with the Resuscitation Council (UK), the British Heart Foundation, which provides the equipment free of charge as part of its Nation of Lifesavers campaign, and St John Ambulance, to give thousands of schoolchildren the skills they need to help save a life.

Simon Gillespie, chief executive at the British Heart Foundation, said:“The UK is a dangerous place to be if you are one of the 30,000 people who has a cardiac arrest outside of hospital this year... This will be the third year we have worked together to train thousands of children in CPR on Restart a Heart Day and we have no doubt that this year’s event will mean thousands more potential lifesavers are walking the streets.”

If your school would like to take part in the event in October you can register at http://www.restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk The deadline for applications is April 29.