Clinicians scoop award for teaching school children to save lives

A London Ambulance Service team have won a special recognition award for training nearly 20,000 school pupils in life-saving skills, including CPR and the use of defibrillators.

Clinicians Sam Cox, Damien Cotterell and Claire Bird from the London Lifesavers team were presented with the gong at the glitzy ROYaL Global Awards ceremony in east London on Sunday night (19 October).

Raising Our Youth as Leaders (ROYaL) is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to enhance the life experiences of socially excluded children and families. The awards celebrate young people who are rising stars in their communities and recognises those who have made a difference to the next generation.

The London Lifesavers team have trained over 18,000 year 8 pupils across 140 schools in the capital since they launched their schools programme in October 2023.

Samantha Palfreyman-Jones, Head of Community Resuscitation and Training at London Ambulance Service, said: “I’m so proud of my team for winning this award. They have inspired children at schools across London to become the next generation of lifesavers so they know what to do when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

“A cardiac arrest – where the heart stops pumping blood around the body – is a life-threatening medical emergency and stepping in to help someone before an ambulance arrives more than doubles a person’s chance of survival.

“Anyone can learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator – the lifesaving device which uses an electric shock to restart a person’s heart. It’s incredibly easy to learn and can save someone you love.”

Our ambitious London Lifesavers Schools Programme aims to teach school children the simple steps to follow when someone is in cardiac arrest and have the confidence to act quickly to help save lives.​

​To help us achieve our aim, we are providing CPR and defibrillator training free of charge to all Year 8 students across the capital. Educating and empowering these students to recognise and know what to do when someone is in cardiac arrest will help save lives.

The ROYaL Global Awards of Excellence is a youth-led program that celebrates young entrepreneurs, community leaders, and innovators who are making a positive impact in their local communities.

The London Lifesavers campaign is currently funded through a generous time-limited grant from NHS Charities Together. If you would like to help fund life-saving defibrillators, donate to the London Lifesavers campaign, or help to protect the health and wellbeing of dedicated staff at London Ambulance Service, please get in touch with our charity at [email protected].

You can find out more, or learn how to get involved and register to become a London Lifesaver by visiting the London Ambulance Service website here.

This winter, the London Ambulance Charity is spreading festive cheer with its first Christmas carol service at the stunning St Bride’s Church on 16 December. Register your place on the Charity’s website here.