EVERY high school pupil in Worcestershire will be given the chance to learn emergency resuscitation skills in a bid to slash the number of heart attack deaths in the county.

The scheme, launched yesterday at Bishop Perowne CofE High School, in Merrimans Hill Road, Barbourne, Worcester, is part of a new partnership between the British Heart Foundation and Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Each school that signs up to the programme will become affiliated to Heartstart UK - an initiative co-ordinated by the BHF to teach members of the public what to do in a life-threatening emergency - and receive teaching resources and training manikins.

HWAS will then provide free-of-charge training to teachers from the schools, equipping them with the skills to train their own pupils.

Richard Vakis, Worcestershire spokesman for Heartstart UK, said: "Very often the first person on the scene of a cardiac arrest is a bystander or relative.

"Being able to perform life-saving skills gives the victim the best possible chances of survival and a properly trained young person is just as capable of saving a life as an adult.

"We are delighted to be able to provide the opportunity for young people across Worcestershire to learn these simple but vital skills that can make the difference between life or death."

Janet Mills, curriculum co-ordinator at Bishop Perowne, said the pupils were looking forward to the training.

"Our students are extremely excited and curious about taking part in the programme," she said.

"The training fits in perfectly with aspects of the national curriculum for personal, social and health education.

"In addition, we felt strongly that pupils would have a very useful skill to offer the communities in which they live and society as a whole as they go forward in life."

Russell B Hamilton, chief executive of HWAS, added: "In cardiac cases it is extremely important that the patient gets treatment as promptly as possible and we encourage local schools to get involved in the programme."

To register your school contact Mr Vakis on 0207 487 9419.