Restart a Heart Day 2026 Success!

The Trust’s 13^th annual Restart a Heart Day (16 October) was a resounding success thanks 800 volunteers who visited 168 secondary schools, bringing vital training directly to more than 35,000 young people at Yorkshire's secondary schools.

Inspirational stories from cardiac arrest survivors and their rescuers were shared, highlighting the impact of bystander CPR. More information on these is available on our Restart a Heart website.

Students at Outwood Grange Academy in Wakefield, who have become the UK’s first Restart a Heart Ambassadors trained by Yorkshire Ambulance Service to teach CPR, led 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.

Jason Carlyon, Community Engagement Manager for YAS, said: “Tens of thousands more potential life-savers have been created thanks to the generosity of hundreds of off-duty staff, volunteers and partners who give up their time to provide students with vital CPR skills. We can't thank you enough! We've had some fantastic feedback from schools whose students appreciated the opportunity to be given a vital skill for life.”

One volunteer said: "Today I've been humbled. It was an absolute privilege to lead as part of Restart a Heart Day, helping young people learn CPR and giving them the confidence to step forward when someone needs them most. It's a skill we hope they'll never need, but one that could save a life.

"Young people get plenty of bad press, but today I witnessed 360 incredible kids listen, learn, ask questions and enjoy themselves. They brought enthusiasm, kindness and a willingness to have a go. They deserve to hear how brilliant they were. It was a genuine pleasure to spend the day with them and the wonderful staff who made us feel so welcome.

"I went in hoping to teach them something valuable, but they gave me something back too. I've come home feeling grateful, uplifted and reminded of exactly why I love being a part of days like this. Already looking forward to next year.”

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*. 

This year’s campaign theme, ‘Watch it. Learn it. Pass it On.’ highlighted how one person learning CPR can help others to become better prepared in the ultimate medical emergency. As part of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity-supported training event, students were encouraged to pass their new skills on to family and friends, while members of the public can join in by watching this 10-minute video and inspiring others to do the same.