As part of the initiative, we’re holding some ‘train the trainer’ life saving training sessions for members of local grassroots clubs. This will help develop vital skills that are needed to save a life in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. Once the members have received the training, they will then pass the skills to other members within their clubs and communities.

This training forms part of our wider ‘Heart Safe’ plan which highlights the need for football clubs in the area to work together to ensure that defibrillators are available to everyone involved in the game.

The plan will raise awareness of the importance of maintaining a defibrillator and public access to it as well as ensuring staff within local football clubs are trained in basic CPR and first aid in the event an emergency, such as a cardiac arrest, should happen.

NWAS Community Resuscitation and Engagement Officer Fiona Larkin says: “We are so pleased to be giving this training to our football communities – it could help save lives in Manchester.

“From January 2023 to January 2024, there were over 3,500 cardiac arrest patients in the North West. The need for CPR education is a high priority for us and our emergency service colleagues as someone in cardiac arrest will die within minutes unless treated immediately with CPR.

“For every minute that someone’s in cardiac arrest without receiving CPR and having a defibrillator used on them, their chance of survival decreases by 10%. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of action from bystanders before ambulance crews arrive both giving CPR and using a defibrillator. This is why it’s vitally important that people in the community who witness a cardiac arrest start lifesaving CPR and defibrillation in the crucial minutes before an ambulance crew arrives - it can make the difference between life and death.

“You don’t have to have a clinical background to use these skills.”