Heartstart

Heartstart Farnham Lions first opened its doors 10 years ago, with the intention of teaching emergency life support skills to as many Farnham residents as possible.  It came about after founding member Keith Aston suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in the street in September 2009.  Many people gathered, not knowing what to do, until a passer by stopped in her car and gave rescue breaths and CPR until the emergency services arrived.  Keith survived, and was re-united with his rescuer, Joanna Michaelides, about 6 months later.  They were both very concerned by the number of people who had no idea how to help – which was extremely traumatic for some of them.   They resolved to help their wider community learn the simple skills that saved Keith, and with help from the South East Coast Ambulance Service, the Farnham Lions and the local branch of the St John Ambulance, they formed Heartstart Farnham Lions. Initially this operated as a scheme associated with the BHF, but now is run under the banner of the Farnham Lions as an independent scheme, providing free classes to members of the public.