‘Every Minute Matters’ aims to create an army of more than a quarter of a million lifesavers by encouraging people to take the BHF’s RevivR training course.
Tuesday 14 May 2024 11:06, UK
Nearly 23,000 people have stepped up to save lives by starting to learn CPR in just the first week of the Sky Bet-British Heart Foundation ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign.
Nearly 23,000 people have stepped up to save lives by starting to learn CPR in just the first week of the Sky Bet-British Heart Foundation 'Every Minute Matters' campaign.
The groundbreaking campaign launched on May 1 with the aim of recruiting 270,000 people to learn CPR in 12 months - fronted by a 'Re-Starting 11' of football and community heroes such as Graeme Souness, Glenn Hoddle, Tom Lockyer, Megan Tinsley, David Ginola and Fabrice Muamba.
New figures reveal that in just seven days, an incredible 22,712 have used the British Heart Foundation's RevivR online tool - which teaches the lifesaving skill.
The number is an astonishing 458 per cent higher than the month before and includes a record-breaking day on May 2 - with the highest ever engagement on the British Heart Foundation's website.
Separately, Sky Bet has so far pledged £150,000 to support the BHF's vital work given the goals scored by teams in the first week of action in the Sky Bet Play-Offs. Sky Bet wants to raise up to £3 million over the course of the campaign.
'Every Minute Matters' ambassador Tom Lockyer said: "The response we've seen to the 'Every Minute Matters' campaign is nothing short of transformational. The numbers speak for themselves, in just seven days we've inspired thousands of people to go online and start learning CPR - that's thousands of people who could one day go on to save a life."
The Luton Town captain, who collapsed during last year's Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final and survived a cardiac arrest in December, continued: "If I've learned anything in the last 12 months, it's that it's impossible to overstate the importance of learning CPR - I simply wouldn't be here if the people around me hadn't acted promptly to administer CPR and defibrillation when I collapsed.
"Using the Play-Offs to drive awareness is just the beginning. We want over a quarter of a million people to learn this life saving skill over the course of the next 12 months."
Fellow campaign ambassador Graeme Souness, who was diagnosed with coronary heart disease in his early 30s, said: "When it comes to cardiac arrest every minute really does matter. If someone collapses you can't hesitate, you need to take immediate action. That's where CPR training comes in, it gives you the skills and confidence to take action when it matters most.
"The fact that so many people have already registered to learn CPR in little under a week says it all. People want to make a difference. Our job is to get the word out and turn 20,000 people into an army of over a quarter of a million lifesavers."
There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. Each minute that passes without CPR reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent. And tragically, less than one in ten people survive often because those around them lack the skills or confidence to perform CPR.
The Sky Bet and BHF Every Minute Matters campaign urges everyone to take just 15 minutes to learn CPR with RevivR, the BHF's free and easy to use online tool.
The simple course requires no medical experience and can be completed with just a mobile phone and a cushion to practice on. After completing the training, 97 per cent of users feel confident enough to give CPR and use a defibrillator.
British Heart Foundation chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: "Our partnership with Sky Bet has the clear goal of saving lives - and it's fantastic that nearly 23,000 people have used RevivR to begin learning lifesaving skills just one week since we've launched.
"Every minute matters when someone has a cardiac arrest, and being able to step in and perform CPR could be the difference between life and death. That's why along with Sky Bet we're urging everyone to take 15 minutes - the length of a half-time interval - to learn this skill through RevivR."
