Life-saving skills should be taught in all schools

Unfortunately, most people who suffer a heart attack outside hospital do not get cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander.

This significantly lessens their chances of survival, for less than one in 10 cardiac arrest victims in the UK survives to be discharged from hospital.

But Sakis Mouzaki was one of the lucky ones.

When he was dragged lifeless out of the sea, not breathing and with no pulse, his friends stood around helpless, not knowing what to do.

But it was his good fortune that on that Greek island beach were Janice Hill and Toni Sinden from Waterlooville.

Both knew how to administer CPR, immediately started chest compressions and brought him back from the brink of death.

Would you have known what to do or have the confidence to step in before professional help arrived?

Both women today urge people to learn CPR, a plea we wholeheartedly endorse.

As Ms Hill says: ‘It’s not hard to learn and it won’t take up much of your time. Anyone can learn it and I encourage people to teach children too.

‘You never know when the person next to you stops breathing and you need to use it.’

When people are asked why they would not give CPR, a common answer is that they never received any training.

There is no excuse these days for not learning.

You can find online videos or attend formal classes to learn how to perform CPR properly.

Surely we should be aiming to create a nation of lifesavers and to do that we believe all young people should be taught CPR and how to use PADs (public access defibrilators) at secondary school.