Falkirk residents can get hands on experience of life saving skills at the Kelpies

Taking place on Wednesday, October 16, the CPR awareness day runs from 10am to 4pm and is a unique opportunity for people to come along and learn vital live saving skills, as well as meet the organisations and services dedicated to saving lives and improving health of people throughout the Forth Valley area.

To continue its commitment to enhancing public safety, St John Scotland will be donating a defibrillator and cabinet to the Kelpies site as part of the initiative to increase the availability of Public Access Defibrillators across Scotland.

Every week in Scotland, around 70 people suffer a cardiac arrest at home, work, or in a public place.

Immediate CPR is crucial – for every minute that passes without CPR or the use of a defibrillator, the chances of survival decrease by 10%. Starting CPR as soon as possible gives the person the best chance of a positive outcome.

Using a defibrillator within the first few minutes of collapse further increases survival chances.

Debbie McKinnon, Service Delivery Officer for St John Scotland said: “Bringing together our partners and the public at this event is a great way to showcase how we can all work together to save lives.

"We’re committed to empowering our communities with the skills they need to respond to cardiac emergencies, and we encourage everyone to come along, learn CPR, and meet the teams that help keep us all safe.”