SCHOOLS and community groups across Sussex are being urged to do their bit and learn life-saving skills.

South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) is running its Restart a Heart awareness campaign later this year and is calling on organisations to register their interest.

Secamb took part in the Europe-wide initiative for the first time last year.

It led to staff and volunteers teaching almost 8,500 children and some adults how to carry out CPR on a person whose heart has stopped.

The training is available to children aged 10 and 11 and over and will take place during October.

The ambulance service is also looking for healthcare professionals to get in contact if they are interested in helping to provide the training.

More than 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year.

If this happens in front of a bystander who starts CPR immediately before the arrival of an ambulance crew, the patient’s chances of survival are significantly improved.

Today, if someone suffers a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK, they have less than a one in ten chance of surviving.

Secamb volunteer operations manager Emma Ray said: “We were delighted with the success of our involvement in Restart a Heart for the first time in 2016 and we’re looking to build on it this year.

“We’re continuing to focus our efforts on schools and community groups.

“By giving young people the confidence in how to act quickly and perform CPR, they can take this skill with them throughout their lives.

“The numbers we trained last year far exceeded our expectations. “It was incredible and everyone embraced their new skills with enormous enthusiasm.”

The Argus launched its Save a Life campaign towards the end of 2015.

It called on businesses, schools, hotels, sports clubs, charities and groups to pledge to install life-saving defibrillators in their communities.

The machines completely safe and easy to use and can make all the difference to a person’s chances of survival.

More than 100 organisations, including major hotels, churches, and a wide range of companies, agreed to make the pledge.

One machine installed due to the campaign has already saved the life of an elderly man in Hove.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Restart a Heart campaign for their school or group can get more details by emailing restartaheart@secamb.nhs.uk or contacting their local community first responder group.