Vital life-saving advice will be on offer at a free event run by First Responders.

Representatives from Arlecdon and District First Responders are holding a ‘Learn How You Can Help to Save a Life’ workshop in Lamplugh Village Hall.

The event, on Tuesday at 7pm, will see First Responders deliver CPR and defibrillator training.

Team member Michael Watts, who will be taking part in the session, said: “We think that everyone in the community should know how to use a defibrillator. Every second counts – the best an ambulance can do is eight minutes from a call and there’s not a lot of chance after eight minutes.

“If your neighbour can use a defibrillator then there is an increasing chance of having success.”

Arlecdon and District First Responders receive about 320 calls a year, with seven active members covering Cleator Moor, Lamplugh and Ennerdale as well as Arlecdon.

“We’ve carried out a number of these sessions with an introduction to CPR and heart conditions,” said Mr Watts.

“We share the statistics and how bad they are, and how much better they are in other countries, especially Scandinavia.

“We demonstrate positions using short videos from the British Heart Foundation, which are quite well received, then we have a physical demonstration using manikins. It is open to questions throughout.

“The manikins light up to demonstrate the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs and the brain, but they only light up when CPR is performed correctly.”

Every year 30,000 people in the UK have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but the survival rate is fewer than one in 10. The First Responders hope to create a ‘Nation of Lifesavers’, where everyone can give vital care.

For more information on the session, contact Bob Marshall on 01946 861493, Jane Davis on 01946 861855 or Alison Pagett on 01946 861184.

Alternatively you can visit www. lamplughvillagehall. org.uk