KINGSBRIDGE Estuary Rotary Club trained their thousandth person in lifesaving skills in West Charleton.

The KERC has been training local residents in the British Heart Foundation Heartstart programme, giving them ‘simple skills that save lives’, and they trained their thousandth person, Ben Rogers, on Wednesday, January 4. ?The Heartstart training includes how to spot the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, how to access an unconscious casualty, place a casualty in the recovery position, recognise a cardiac arrest and perform Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation - CPR, use an Automated External Defibrillator - AED, and how to deal with someone who is choking.

Heartstart training sessions with up to about 20 participants include ’hands-on’ practice, take about two hours and are free to local communities, clubs and volunteer groups.

KERC set up its own Heartstart Scheme, affiliated to the BHF, in 2009. The original idea came from Dr John Miller, a retired GP and former member of KERC, and has now held 64 training sessions and trained 1,000 participants. ?KERC have trained groups including the scouts, guides, police cadets, members of the WI, Walk & Talk guides, volunteer minibus and hospital drivers, lifeboat and Coastwatch crew, carers, rowers and sailors.

They have also trained local groups from Aveton Gifford, Churchstow, Diptford, Dodbrooke, Frogmore, Kingsbridge, Loddiswell, Malborough, Moreleigh, Sherford, South Pool, Stokenham, Thurlestone, West Buckland, and West Charleton.

During the 2013/14 school year, KERC helped Kingsbridge Community College to set up its own student Heartstart scheme and continues to support the school with the provision of additional instructors.

They were part of the team who trained 164 students and teachers from Kingsbridge Community College and Dartmouth Academy as part of Restart a Heart Day in October, which saw 100,000 students across the UK trained in lifesaving skills.

Today, the KERC Heartstart Scheme has a team of 16 instructors, comprising Rotarians and their partners, as well as local police officer PC Richard Loxton.

The Medical Director is Dr Carl Gwinnutt, a retired consultant anaesthetist and national authority on resuscitation. The lead instructor is Steve Mullen, a retired community police officer.

Steve Kerr, KERC, said: ‘Demand for this training has increased substantially over the past year or two as more and more communities and organisations acquire their own defibrillators - AEDs - so the Heartstart Scheme is busier now than it has ever been.

‘KERC has also provided two AEDs for Kingsbridge. One, until recently at the filling station, was the first AED available 24/7 in Kingsbridge Town, it is currently at The Seven Stars, and the second has been used to equip a local police patrol car.’

Anyone interested in finding out more about Heartstart training should contact Steve Kerr via the KERC website at www.estuaryrotary.org.uk or email to [email protected].

You can also find out where your closest defibrillator is using our map: tinyurl.com/southhamsdefibs and if you have needed to use the skills learnt in these Heartstart sessions in real life, we’d love to hear about it. You can contact us on 01548 856353 or through our website or Facebook page.