Walking footballers learn how to save a life

Walking footballers learn how to save a life

Walking football players took the opportunity to take part in basic life support training following their training session on Thursday morning at Rochdale Leisure Centre. Training was supplied by Rochdale Council’s Public Health Team in partnership with Link4Life.

Lisa Kimpton from Rochdale Council’s Public Health Team who delivered the training said: “A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. A person's chance of survival falls by about 10% for each minute that passes without CPR or defibrillation. The risk of death can be greatly reduced if you can administer some basic life support prior to the emergency services arriving. Every second matters and the training provided to the walking footballers today will give them the confidence to act quickly and effectively. ”

Steve Colesby, who is a regular at the walking football sessions said: “The training has given us the skills to be able to deal with an unconscious person and perform resuscitation if required. We can recognise the signs and symptoms of a cardiac arrest and know that once we call 999, the operator can tell you if there's a public access defibrillator nearby. ”