Hartlepool residents can learn basic CPR at a free drop-in session at Hartlepool United Football Club on Monday 19 October, with two match tickets offered to each person who takes part.
The session will run from 10am to 1pm in the Hart of Our Club 1908 Lounge. Staff from University Hospitals Tees’ Health and Academy will simple techniques and explain what to do if someone has a cardiac arrest. No previous experience is needed, there is no classroom lesson and visitors can stay for five minutes or longer.
Practical help in a familiar setting
Hartlepool United and the hospital group have arranged the event as part of Restart a Heart, the annual Resuscitation Council UK campaign to improve public understanding of cardiac arrest and build confidence in CPR. Restart a Heart Day falls on 16 October, but events continue throughout the month.
The club setting is intended to make the training informal and easy to approach. H’Angus the Monkey will be there, while the two free tickets are for Hartlepool United’s home game against Hornchurch on Saturday 24 October.
Teresa Pounder, an education and training partner at University Hospitals Tees, has personal experience of giving CPR to a close family member. She said people “never know when you may need these skills”, adding that community training can help more people feel able to act in an emergency.
Why confidence matters
A cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. It is not the same as a heart attack, although a heart attack can sometimes lead to cardiac arrest. Resuscitation Council UK says fewer than one in ten people in the UK survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
That figure gives the Hartlepool session a practical purpose. Bystanders may be the first people able to help before emergency services arrive, yet knowing the steps is different from feeling ready to use them. A brief, hands-on introduction with a training manikin can make the process less unfamiliar.
Restart a Heart is led by Resuscitation Council UK with support from ambulance services, universities, charities and other public and community organisations. Its October programme combines in-person events with digital learning about CPR and defibrillation. The campaign continues throughout the year through online learning and local training.
More sessions to follow
The Hartlepool United drop-in is the first of several local dates announced by the Health and Social Care Academy. Its team will attend a football camp for parents and carers on Monday 26 October and a disability football carers group on Tuesday 27 October.
Staff will also be at Hartlepool United’s home match against Wealdstone on Saturday 14 November, giving supporters another chance to learn about CPR. The hospital group has not said that the later activities will include the same match-ticket offer, so residents interested in that offer should attend the 19 October session.
The 19 October event is at Hartlepool United Football Club, Victoria Park, with the session based in the Hart of Our Club 1908 Lounge from 10am to 1pm.