Fiona pledges support to life-saving school curriculum change

Fiona has spoken out in support of a charity's campaign to get life-saving first aid skills taught as part of the National Curriculum.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) wants to see Emergency Life Support (ELS) skills taught in secondary school classrooms around the UK and is calling on the Government to change the National Curriculum in England to ensure all students are taught the skills which would help save a life.

ELS skills take just two hours to teach and include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to deal with serious bleeding, choking and heart attacks.

Fiona said: "When I was a primary teacher I brought in a team from St John's Ambulance service to help me teach emergency life skills to my pupils.  And more recently my brother's life was saved when his heart stopped in a café because a diner at the next table knew how to do CPR. The doctors said he only survived because she acted promptly to give CPR.

If every student learns this skill hundreds of thousands of new lifesavers would be on the streets each year. Every second counts in an emergency so making ELS part of our children's education could mean the difference between life and death.

It's absolutely the right thing to do and I hope everyone in Slough agrees and signs the BHF's petition."

A recent BHF survey found that three quarters (75%) of parents and 87% of pupils in the South East want to see ELS on the curriculum^.

People can sign the petition and find more information about the campaign at: http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/campaigning/emergency-life-saving-skills.aspx