KEIGHLEY-district secondary schools are being urged to sign-up for free lifesaving lessons.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) is again staging its annual Restart a Heart Day.

And registration is now open for this year’s event, on October 16.

Restart a Heart Day sees hundreds of ambulance staff and volunteers go into schools across the region to provide training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR.

Since the initiative began in 2014, more than 76,000 youngsters have been given tuition and the scheme has been rolled out to all ambulance services nationally, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

As an added incentive to take part, all participating pupils this year will be invited to enter an artwork challenge, with the chance of winning a defibrillator for their school.

Jason Carlyon, clinical development manager with YAS, said: “This year we hope to smash the milestone of providing CPR training to over 100,000 youngsters since we began.

“It would be an incredible achievement – and it’s all thanks to the hundreds of volunteers and the secondary schools across Yorkshire who understand the value of providing this lifesaving lesson.

“CPR is a simple, easy intervention that can save the lives of patients in cardiac arrest.

“By being trained and having the confidence to use CPR, anyone can dramatically increase a patient’s chances of survival.”

The venture is being staged in conjunction with organisations including the Resuscitation Council (UK), the British Heart Foundation – which provides the equipment free of charge – and St John Ambulance.

Secondary schools wishing to take part can register at restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk.

The deadline is May 1.