St John Ambulance student volunteers take on CPR marathon

Student volunteers from St John Ambulance will stage a 12-hour CPR marathon outside South Kensington Station, on Thurloe Road, on Friday 30 August.



The event, which starts at 9am, aims to raise money for life saving training and medical equipment for six west London St John Ambulance student volunteering units, two of which will be opening for the first time in September.



The units are based at universities throughout west and north London, including Imperial College, Brunel, and Westminster, with the two new units being set up at Middlesex and Buckinghamshire New University (Uxbridge Campus). The equipment will be used to train new first aid volunteers and will be used at London-wide events to treat members of the public.



The Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr Will Pascall, will visit the students at 10.30am, and will learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator. Members of the public are being encouraged to get involved too, by having a go at these vital skills. There will also be a St John ambulance available for people, and their children, to explore.



Xarius Austin, area manager for west London student volunteering, said: “By working in shifts we hope to be able to keep going for the full 12 hours, performing CPR and defibrillator demonstrations to a wonderful variety of CPR-friendly songs. We’d ask passers-by – commuters, shoppers, tourists – to join in and have a go at learning these life saving skills, as well as donating to support our voluntary work.”



Anyone wanting to support the student volunteers can make a donation via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/west-london-links



For more information on St John Ambulance, including how to make a donation, volunteering opportunities, and details of training for the public, schools and businesses, visit www.sja.org.uk