NOW firmly into its sixth year of operations, during which time it has trained over 950 members of the community in Emergency Life Support (ELS) skills, the Heartstart Farnham Lions team of volunteer instructors is pleased to announce it will enter 2018 with its 102nd free class on January 10.

Cardiac Arrest is the ultimate medical emergency; what happens (or doesn’t) in the few minutes after someone collapses greatly affects the outcome of life or death.

Would you know what to do in such a situation? Would you be able to provide life saving aid to a loved one, a friend, or even a stranger on the street?

Heartstart, an initiative of the British Heart Foundation, is aimed at enabling ordinary people to do just that.

Farnham Lions Club is driving this initiative forward, which, together with the club’s involvement in the installation and maintenance of publicly accessible defibrillators (PADs) around the town, should make it one of the most survivable, none - hospital, environments in the country in which to have a life threatening heart event.

Why don’t you become one of the growing number of people in the community who can now confidently approach and help a casualty, who may well be in danger of swift and premature death, by booking for one of the New Year classes?

These are scheduled as follows: January 10 and 24; February 7 and 21; March 7 and 21. Further class dates will be announced in the local press in early March.

All classes take place at the St John Ambulance Hall, near Waitrose, Farnham on selected Wednesday evenings, commence at 7pm and last around two and a half hours.

Each class delivers the whole course. They are free, although voluntary donations towards expenses are most welcome.

Take a look at the scheme’s website www.heartstartfarnhamlions.co.uk or email [email protected] for further information and to reserve a place.