More than 35,000 schoolchildren learn life-saving CPR to boost Yorkshire cardiac arrest survival rates

A cardiac arrest patient in Yorkshire is nearly twice as likely to survive if a bystander steps in to perform CPR, according to the latest figures from Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Last year, bystanders intervened in 1,972 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the region. Their immediate actions successfully contributed to restarting 643 hearts on the scene, leading to 132 long-term survivors (6.7%). By contrast, out of 892 cardiac arrests where no bystander CPR was provided intervened, 33 people (3.7%) survived past 30 days post-hospital discharge*. 

To build on these life-saving figures, an army of 800 off-duty staff and volunteers from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, will visit 168 secondary schools across the region to train 35,000 students in CPR for Restart a Heart Day on Friday 16 October.

The massive training push, supported by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity, is being backed by cardiac arrest survivors and the everyday heroes who stepped up to save their lives. This year’s campaign message is ‘Watch it. Learn it. Pass it on’ with students being urged, not only to master the skill themselves, but to take their training home and encourage family and friends watch the video below - creating a network of life-savers in every corner of Yorkshire.

Jason Carlyon, Community Engagement Manager at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “The numbers speak for themselves; early CPR makes a monumental difference to whether someone survives a cardiac arrest. Having a bystander step up nearly doubles a patient's chances of coming home from hospital.

“By visiting 168 schools to mark Restart a Heart Day, our 800 volunteers can equip a new generation with the skills and confidence to act in an emergency. We want these 35,000 students to go home, spark conversations with their families and neighbours, and help us turn every community into a place where everyone knows what to do in the event of a cardiac arrest.”

One Yorkshire school is taking the initiative even further. Students at Outwood Grange Academy in Wakefield have become the UK’s first Restart a Heart Ambassadors, trained to teach CPR. They will lead the school’s Restart a Heart Day session for fellow students and parents, including two mums and cardiac arrest survivor Nick Parkes who have personal experience of why CPR matters. By pioneering the student-led model, Yorkshire Ambulance Service hopes the approach can be rolled out more widely, helping life-saving knowledge spread through schools, homes and communities across the region.

Julekha Motara, Assistant Principal at Outwood Grange Academy, said: "We are incredibly proud that our students are stepping up as the country's very first Restart a Heart Ambassadors and leading the life-saving lessons on Restart a Heart Day. Giving young people the power and responsibility to teach CPR to adults and their peers creates a ripple effect throughout our communities. It proves that you don't need to wear a uniform to save a life."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has provided free CPR training to more than 311,432 youngsters at the majority of secondary schools across Yorkshire since Restart a Heart Day began in Yorkshire in 2014.

Currently in the UK, less than one in ten (8.6%) people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. If we achieved the same survival rates of countries like Norway (25%), where CPR is taught in schools, an additional 100 lives could be saved each week - the equivalent of approximately 5,000 every year.

*Figures cover out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) recorded across Yorkshire in 2025. Bystander intervention includes CPR performed by members of the public, off-duty emergency personnel, and community first responders prior to primary ambulance arrival.