CPR training offered in Douglas shopping centre

The free workshops will be held on 14 October

Public demonstrations of how to give CPR could help to remove "some of the fear" around it, an ambulance charity has said.

First aid training will be offered by Manx Care's resuscitation team and St John Ambulance (SJA) in a Douglas shopping centre on 14 October.

They will also teach people how to use a defibrillator.

Claire Pickering from SJA said the skills learnt "could be the difference between a life lost and a life saved".

Survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests remain "stubbornly low" in the British Isles, with fewer than one-in-ten people surviving, a Manx Care spokeswoman added.

The initiative has been led by Resuscitation Council UK who work with partners to raise awareness of cardiac arrests and to help people learn CPR.

'Misconceptions'

During the workshops, the Restart a Heart team will answer questions and give people the opportunity to try out the skills learned.

Ms Pickering said the team's aim was to "remove some of the fear and misconceptions that many people have around CPR and the use of defibrillators".

Senior Nurse Paul Ellis said over 70% of people are not confident to perform CPR so the campaign was to "teach the public about its importance".

"In the UK, around 80% of cardiac arrests happen in the home, so your two hands really can help save a life," he said.

The demonstrations, at the Strand Shopping Centre between 10:00 BST and 16:00 on 14 October, "could help give someone a lifeline", he added.

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