PEOPLE have the chance to learn how to help someone in cardiac arrest, with free life-saving classes.

Volunteers from first-aid charity St John Ambulance are holding CPR classes in Kidlington as part of their 2019 Restart A Heart campaign.

Working with the Resuscitation Council and other partners, the charity’s first aid demonstrations will contribute to an ambition of teaching as many people as possible these skills in October.

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While Restart A Heart Day is on October 16, St John Ambulance’s highly trained adult first aiders and younger volunteers around the country will be arranging sessions throughout the month to give people more opportunities to learn.

In Kidlington, local volunteers will lead classes this Saturday at The Alan Walton Training Centre on 40 High Street in Kidlington.

Sessions will run from 10:30-12:00, 13:00-14:30 and 15:00-16:30.

The workshops are free and will include practical information on how to deliver CPR and deliver shocks to the heart with a defibrillator.

Currently, less than one in 10 people in the UK survives a cardiac arrest out of hospital and St John Ambulance and its Restart A Heart partners want to change that. 

Chances of survival double when someone gives immediate CPR and increases further when a defibrillator is used.

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Sally Bartlett, head of volunteering for London and South, said: “It is vital that as many people as possible learn how to deliver CPR and use a defibrillator because of the unpredictable nature of cardiac arrests.

"In the space of only an hour you can pick up these skills from us for free so please make it a priority to find a Restart A Heart demonstration near to you.”

The campaign will be promoted widely on social media. To join in the conversation, search for the hashtag #RestartAHeart. To find out more about the campaign online, go to www.sja.org.uk/restartaheart.