(The attached photo shows L to R: Councillor David Allan, mayor of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, the Lady Mayoress, then the CPR Counts Team: Dawn Caine, Malcolm Robinson, Barbara Caine, Mike Bennett.)
On Thursday 21st November the CPR Counts Team was invited to Sutton Coldfield Town Hall as shortlisted candidates for one of the five Annual Community Awards. We must have been nominated anonymously as the invitation came very much as a surprise to us.
It was an informal but tense evening as we watched the winners of the first four categories being revealed, Academy Award style. Then it came to our category, Community Group...
Click this link to see a short video of the event:
https://wordpress.com/page/cprcounts.com/2179
We know it's not the best quality video you'll ever see - blame the dim night-club-style lighting and the limitations of the mobile phone - but its the sentiment that counts.
We are, of course, feeling highly honoured and proud to have won the award and thank all the many people who've helped us along the way to keep our 'show on the road'. We never could have imagined how this idea from just over two years ago has developed.
What comes next is up to you, the public - we can only run our courses if people keep on coming along. Ask yourself – are you really confident that you would know what to do if the person next to you collapsed. Would you be able to recognise what their immediate needs were, and then to carry them out?
Remember this – the majority of out of hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home and at least 92% of people die, mainly because of the lack of someone present knowing what to do. Calling an ambulance, whilst being essential, will rarely, on it's own, lead to a positive outcome, simply because it won't get there in time, as seconds count.
Let's all keep working towards giving the people of our town the best possible chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
We teach first aid for Heart Attack, Cardiac Arrest, Choking and also using a Defibrillator.
You can apply for a place on one of our FREE two-hour courses at:
Go to 'Application Forms For Courses' in the main menu.
