Restart a Heart 2022

The 2019 Restart a Heart volunteers at Cabot Circus.

Press release issued: 11 October 2022

The public will be able to pick-up essential life-saving skills due to the initiative of students from the University of Bristol, working closely with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston on several sessions. Free CPR training sessions in Broadmead, the University Campus, and two Bristol hospitals will be held over the course of a week.

This is part of Restart a Heart Day founded by the European Resuscitation Council - an annual worldwide campaign. This brings together organisations from across the globe to equip the public with vital life-saving skills to improve the chances of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Student volunteers part of RMD Bristol, a near-peer BLS training scheme at Bristol Medical School, along with CPR in Society (CPRiS) and will be on hand to teach at these free drop-in sessions.

Fourth year medical student, Ester Mikova said: “Basic Life Support (BLS) is life-saving training that everyone should be able to access across all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and cultures. We are extremely excited to get to meet and teach a variety of people over the week.”

This year the team will be hosting five CPR training events over a week:

Wednesday, 12th October in the Bristol Heart Institution Atrium, 9-3pm with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston
Thursday, 13th October outside the University of Bristol Indoor Sports Centre, 12-2 pm with CPRiS
Friday, 14th October outside the University of Bristol Indoor Sports Centre, 12-2 pm with CPRiS
Sunday 16th October outside Boots, Broadmead, 10-3pm with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston
Wednesday 19th October in the South Bristol Community Hospital Atrium, 9-3pm with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston

This will be the first in-person Restart a Heart Campaign run with Bristol students since the suspension of activities due to COVID-19 in early 2020.

Further information

About the Restart a Heart campaign

The Restart a Heart campaign (RSAH) is an annual initiative led by the Resuscitation Council (UK) in partnership with The British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, and Yorkshire Ambulance Service which aims to improve the low numbers of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

On and around 16 October, an alliance of organisations all over the world (including Ambulance Services, Universities, Medical Schools, and Fire and Rescue Services) come together to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and increase the number of people trained in life saving CPR by organising and facilitating training events.