School defibrillators: Father welcomes government plan

Oliver King died during a swimming lesson

The father of a boy who died from an undetected heart condition says the government's plan for defibrillators in all schools is "a massive step".

Mark King has been campaigning for the devices to be in schools since his son Oliver died in 2011.

Sales of defibrillators, which give an electric shock to the heart, rose after footballer Christian Eriksen survived a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020.

The education secretary said the devices should be in all schools.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Gavin Williamson said it was "incredibly moving" to hear Mr King's experience of losing his son at a recent meeting.

"We will look at changing the regulations, which are underpinned by secondary legislation, to ensure that all schools have defibrillators in the future and hopefully prevent such a tragedy visiting more families," he said.

The second reading of the Automated External Defibrillators Bill is due in Parliament on Friday.

Mr King founded the charity The Oliver King Foundation - which has distributed more than 5,000 defibrillators - to ensure all UK schools and sport clubs have the devices.

It followed his son's death after a seizure during a school swimming lesson in Liverpool.

Mr King told BBC Radio Merseyside that Mr Williamson's comments were "a massive, massive step in the right direction for us".

"We have been over-promised and under-delivered for the past 10 years," he said.

"Gavin has come out and said he is going to do it. I don't want to be having radio and TV interviews in three years' time saying why isn't it done.

"I am giving him 12 months to do this and I am not letting up on him until he has done it."

Former footballer Jamie Carragher's charity supports Mark King's foundation

Mr King described his son Oliver as "beautiful inside and out".

"As a dad, you don't want any parent to go what we went through," he said.

He also repeated calls for future legislation to ensure defibrillators would be available next to fire extinguishers in all premises.

Former Liverpool and England footballer Jamie Carragher, whose own charity supports the foundation, tweeted: "Mark King and The OK Foundation have worked tirelessly on this campaign for a decade, it looks like that hard work is going to finally pay off."

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Sports figures including Raheem Sterling and Moeen Ali were among a number of players and medical professionals who signed a letter to the prime minister this summer, supporting Mr King's campaign.

Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who survived a cardiac arrest on the pitch in 2012 following the use of a defibrillator, also signed the letter.

About 2,000 defibrillators are also being distributed to English grassroots football clubs in a scheme from the Premier League, the Football Association and Football Foundation.