CHILDREN at Bellingham Middle School have been learning how to save lives as part of a national CPR training event this week.

Hundreds of schoolchildren up and down the country took part in Restart a Heart Day, led by the the UK’s 13 ambulance trusts on Tuesday.

As part of what is thought to be the biggest event of its kind, children at the Bellingham school learnt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills with the help of two volunteers from the North East Ambulance Service.

Children from the four classes in year groups 6, 7 and 8 took part in the event, where they watched a DVD explaining the process for resuscitating someone from a cardiac arrest, before trying it out for themselves on dummies.

Rebecca Simpson, headteacher at Bellingham Middle School, said: “We were thrilled to be asked to take part in the event with the North East Ambulance Service, who we have raised money for in the past.

“The children really enjoyed it and were telling their friends in other classes how great it was. They were all enthusiastic and I was very proud of how they got involved with the event.

“As well as that they learned valuable skills in saving lives. I would thoroughly recommend anyone to take part.”

Paramedic Andrea Raine, education and development lead for NEAS, said: “By learning CPR, these youngsters could one day save the life of someone they love. There’s no better reason to learn than that.

“We think it’s really important to be involved in Restart a Heart Day.

“This is the first time we have taken part and we’re really pleased to have so many schools join us from as far north as Berwick and as far south as Guisborough.”

The event was organised in conjunction with the Resuscitation Council, the British Heart Foundation, which provides the training equipment free of charge as part of its Nation of Lifesavers campaign, and North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

The BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign aims to equip all young people and adults across the UK with the vital CPR skills to help save a life.