GL1 Leisure Centre has joined a nationwide effort to raise awareness of life-saving CPR skills as part of the Restart a Heart campaign.
The initiative, led by the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) and supported by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), aims to improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests — which affect around 30,000 people each year, or roughly 84 every day.
To mark Restart a Heart Day, Freedom Leisure, which operates GL1 and more than 130 centres across England and Wales, hosted a hands-on CPR workshop and demonstration at the Gloucester venue. The session was led by Freedom Leisure’s George Fear, with guidance from Jo Talbot, RLSS UK Commercial Director. Participants learned the basics of CPR and how to use a defibrillator, before taking part in a Q&A session.
Ivan Horsfall Turner, Chief Executive of Freedom Leisure, said: “We’re thrilled to be part of Restart a Heart. This campaign gives people the confidence and skills to save lives. More than 600 of our staff are already trained in first aid, and we want all our customers to learn CPR too.”
Nick Grazier, from the RLSS UK, added: “Many people have still never learnt CPR, but it’s a vital skill. By partnering with the leisure industry, we hope more people will feel confident to act in an emergency.”
Freedom Leisure is one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit leisure trusts, reinvesting all surpluses into improving community facilities.