AN OSWESTRY man who has helped to train more than 650 people to perform CPR is urging more people to learn the vital skill.

The importance of CPR was highlighted globally at the weekend, when Danish footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country’s opening Euro 2020 match in Copenhagen.

The harrowing scenes prompted sports clubs at all levels to reiterate the importance of having trained first aid personnel on site, as well as an accessible defibrillator.

Member of Oswestry Cambrian Rotary Club, Mike Lade, has helped to train people in Oswestry how to correctly administer CPR through a community project run by the club.

He said: “We’ve trained more than 650 people so far in the town.

“It’s people in the street who can save lives. If they can administer good CPR before a defibrillator gets to the person affected, whether that is through public access or paramedics, it’s that good CPR that can sustain the life.

“The footage at the weekend was very distressing and shows these things can happen very quickly.

“I think everybody should know first aid, especially CPR and the use of a defibrillator.

“The defibrillator box can scare some people because they fear they can do the wrong thing with it, when in reality, they can’t.

“As soon as you open the lid, the box tells you exactly what it wants you to do, and it won’t move on to the next stage until you have done it.

“It’s very clever and that’s why they’re accessible for the public now because all you need is the confidence to open the box.”

Mike started the community project during his time as a Community First Responder in a bid to teach the life-saving skill to as many people in the area as possible.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a backlog of groups who are hoping to receive CPR training.

Mike insists CPR is easy to learn and hopes people will look to join the growing number of people who know how to deliver it properly.

He said: “CPR is easy to pick up, and of course if you need to use it, it can be distressing at the time.

“But if you have the training and know what you are doing, you deal with the distress afterwards.

“I am very keen for people to get to know how to use a defibrillator.

“But, a defibrillator on its own is no good – you have to know how to administer CPR.

“CPR is what sustains life, while the defibrillator can bring the life back.”

Eriksen was taken to hospital after receiving CPR and confirmed that he ‘feels ok’ on social media on Tuesday morning.

To find out more about Oswestry Cambrian Rotary Club, visit www.oswestrycambrianrc.co.uk