Ahoy there! Free CPR training at Brunel’s SS Great Britain this Half Term
Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) is inviting families down to Brunel Square near the entrance to Brunel’s SS Great Britain for some free CPR and defibrillation training on 14 April 2023.
Between 10:00 and 15:00, adults and children can call in at the GWAAC stand to learn how to respond to someone in cardiac arrest and potentially save a life. Great Western Heartstarters volunteers will demonstrate how to do CPR on Mini-Annes (manikins) and how to use a defibrillator.
Brunel’s SS Great Britain host defib to improve survival rates
The SS Great Britain Trust’s newly installed public access defibrillator is located just a short distance from Bristol’s famous visitor attraction.
By placing an accessible defibrillator in a prominent public place, SS Great Britain Trust is helping to increase the chance of survival for someone suffering a cardiac arrest nearby, by up to 70%.
Having recently installed SS Great Britain’s defib and provided training to 68 staff and volunteers earlier this month, the Great Western Heartstarters volunteers are looking forward to teaching whoever would like to drop into the open-air event on 14 April.
“We are delighted to have been given the opportunity by the Sam Polledri Foundation and GWAAC to not only install a defibrillator that will be accessible 24/7, but to have also received first-class training and the chance to play a part in educating the community too. Carlota (GWAAC’s Public Engagement Coordinator) and Nick (Heartstarters Volunteer) were fantastic, the training they gave was very engaging, clear, and helped to increase our confidence in using CPR and defibrillators. We’re all very proud to be Heartstarters and to support GWAAC’s mission of educating and inspiring the local community by hosting them in Brunel Square!” Daisy Hardy, Operations Manager, SS Great Britain Trust
In 2022, GWAAC launched a project working with local communities to install as many public access defibrillators as possible. To find out more about the project and how you can go about installing a defibrillator near you, visit GWAAC’s defibrillator web page.
On average, GWAAC attended over ten cardiac arrests a week in 2022. By learning how to fundraise for and install a defib, or even simply how to do CPR and use one, you will be increasing someone’s chance of survival.
