Ballynahinch Hockey Club players receive life saving CPR drills

Ballynahinch Hockey Club players receive life saving CPR drills

1 December 2021

YOUNG members of Ballynahinch Hockey Club were given potentially life-saving CPR and defibrillator training recently.

The course was delivered by 17 year-old student Anna Pim from Annahilt, who plays hockey for the Pegasus club and is a member of the Ulster Hockey Youth Forum.  

Anna has been also a member of St John Ambulance since the age of 10 and is behind the ‘At The Heart of the Game’ campaign.

During lockdown she worked on an idea of delivering an awareness campaign to educate young people through CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator).

When she approached St John Ambulance and Ulster Hockey, they agreed to support her, with George Best Belfast City Airport coming on as a corporate sponsor.

Anna explained that she saw at first hand how a person was saved due to CPR.

“Several years ago, a member of my rowing club suffered a cardiac arrest on the River Lagan in Belfast,” she said.

“The swift and skilful treatment he received, in the first instance CPR, undoubtably saved his life. He survived, but many don’t. In fact, there are 1,400 cardiac arrests reported outside of the hospital setting every year in Northern Ireland.

“I was 13 at the time of this incident, and I remember thinking if I had been there, would I have had the confidence to perform CPR and help my friend.”

Anna also aims to aid funds to provide AED trainers for St John Ambulance cadet divisions within the club areas she visits and in doing so increase the number of people trained within these communities.

Anna is also being supported by former Lady Mary Peters and Ireland hockey player Shirley McCay, who have agreed to act as her ambassadors for the campaign.