February is National Heart Month. Through research and changes to cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) survival rates have increased over recent years. Yet the UK lags behind other countries. You have less than a one in ten chance of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest in the UK. Herefordshire Heartstart want to improve these chances in your community by training local people in CPR.

Since 1996 Herefordshire Heartstart have trained over 23,000 people in the county. Their aim is to save lives in the community by strengthening the chain of survival. When someone suffers a cardiac arrest their life may depend on a bystander or family member who has learned the necessary skills. Living in such a rural county the help of those around us is essential while waiting for the emergency services to arrive.

Herefordshire Heartstart provides training in emergency life support for members of the public, community groups and other organisations. They also work closely with many schools in Herefordshire. The course covers: how to call for help, dealing with an unconscious casualty, the recovery position, identifying and dealing with suspected heart attacks, identifying and dealing with choking, how to stop severe bleeding, how to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) including the use of a defibrillator.

Herefordshire Heartstart is a small charity based in the county. They bring all their own equipment and their volunteer instructors are highly trained in the delivery of this course. Their courses are provided free of charge to the public and community groups. They are affiliated to the British Heart Foundation but receive no government or British Heart Foundation funding for their scheme; relying on donations and fundraising by local people.

The next public courses in Ross are: St Mary’s Church Hall, Ross-on-Wye on Wednesday February 7th, 7-9pm and Brampton Abbotts Village Hall on Thursday, March 29th, 7-9pm. Booking essential.

To book a course, attend a course or find out about volunteering with Herefordshire Heartstart contact our coordinator, Sarah, on 0845 60 60 654 or email [email protected]

More information about Herefordshire Heartstart can be found on our website www.herefordshireheartstart.org