A TYWYN school has launched a campaign to raise funds to buy life-saving equipment for the whole community.

Nick Aitken, volunteer fund-raiser for north Wales and CPR trainer, recently visited pupils from Year 10 at Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn to give training on CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator.

The children also learnt the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest and how to stay safe, recognise the signs and what to do in an emergency.

Mr Aitken said: “It was a very engaging, practical and fun learning environment.

“Best of all, they learnt how to work as a team or other person to save lives. We also learnt how to place a casualty in the recovery position, deal with a casualty regurgitating and someone who is choking.”

Welsh Hearts is currently campaigning for CPR to be taught in all Welsh schools as a lifesaving skill.

“With 8,000 cardiac arrests each year outside of hospitals in Wales, survival rate is just three per cent," he added. "If early CPR and early defibrillation is applied, survival rate rises to around 50 per cent thus, our need to place community defibrillators across all parts of north Wales.

“These children in Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn recently learnt how to save lives and their headteacher Helen Lewis was very impressed, as was I with the skills learnt within a short lesson."

Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn have now pledged to start fundraising to purchase a defibrillator that will sit on an external part of the school building which will not only serve the school but also the community.

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