Thousands Learn Life-Saving Skills

With the help of Heartsafe and Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall, around 50,000 fans at King Power Stadium, Welford Road and Loughborough University saw a live demonstration on how to use a defibrillator in the case of a cardiac arrest.
Leicester City supporters equipped themselves with the valuable knowledge at half time in the 2-2 draw with Burnley on Saturday 4 October while Leicester Tigers fans learned the life-saving skills at half time in their 22-16 win over Harlequins on Friday 10 October.
And on Saturday 11 October basketball fans at Leicester Riders’ 98-80 win over Surrey United were also shown how to operate the equipment.
Delighted with the results, The Birch said: “I’ve never seen so many bums on seats at half time – the Leicester fans have again shown fantastic support to something which is very important to me.
“With the help of Cardiologist Dr. Doug Skehan and everyone at the Leicestershire Heartsafe Schools Programme, we’ve managed to get an important message out there.
“I hope that they never have to be put in a situation where they have to use a defibrillator, but if they do, they’ll know exactly how to use it.
“The whole of Leicester’s community have been brilliant and to top it off, they now know how to save someone’s life.”
Alongside this, the donated 20 defibrillators as part of their support for the LCFC Defibrillator Appeal.
Each piece of equipment has been placed in different areas across Leicestershire in order to help save the lives of those who may experience a cardiac arrest.
Approximately 12 young people each week die as a result of heart problems, while that number rises to as many as 200 a day with adults, stressing the importance of having access to a defibrillator.