In response to the British Heart Foundation’s offer to provide sufficient CPR dummies and associated gadgetry to train our students in vital life-saving skills, we took up the challenge and are now well on our way to having equipped over 1500 current Loreto students with the knowledge and confidence to seek help and to perform CPR on casualties who are unconscious and not breathing.

90 first year students across the Loreto Halls volunteered to become CPR Champions. They undertook training in their lunchtimes to learn not only how to do CPR effectively themselves but also how to deliver training sessions for other students in tutorial sessions. Initial training was given by a team of enthusiastic and dedicated staff, who then arranged for the students to be deployed across tutor groups. Some students also led assemblies for their Halls. It was up to the groups of Champions to decide how best to encourage the students in tutorials to listen, watch and rehearse the skills. They liaised, organised, led, demonstrated and generally got stuck in with tutor groups to ensure everyone present was able to push down hard enough on their dummy’s chest and introduce enough air into the lungs. Wrist bands and certificates were given out as rewards.

The plan is to train the lower sixth tutor groups after Easter and then staff and support workers so that by the end of the year we will have made good our promise to BHF to have the entire College confident they can save a life.

This has been a massive commitment by the CPR Champions and we are very proud of them for taking on this role. Many of them are, understandably, hoping for careers in the health care sector so we can rest assured we will be in good hands both inside and outside of hospitals.