Pop group S Club visited Clapton Academy for Girls in Hackney as part of their Heart Month launch and took part in a life-saving CPR session with pupils.

The band paid tribute to the school’s introduction of Classroom RevivR, a free tool to help students learn life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation by joining students in developing the skills they need to save lives .

During the session, members of the hit ’90s pop act learned CPR using cushions and cell phones, before taking questions from curious students and teachers.

Since rolling out Classroom RevivR in October, students at Clapton Academy for Girls are already benefiting from the skills being taught. One group of students witnessed a passerby collapse on their way to school, and were able to confidently intervene, assess the situation, and help when an emergency occurred.

The launch of Classroom RevivR was made possible with fantastic fundraising support from our charity partner Royal Mail, who funded the programme.

latest ambassador

We’re also excited to announce that S Club is our new ambassador to support our life-saving work.

S Club have been supporting us since last year in memory of their much-loved band member Paul Cattermole. The singer passed away in April 2023 at the age of 46 due to underlying health conditions.

John Lee of the S Club said: “Joining the Clapton Girls students and seeing their enthusiasm for learning lifesaving skills was a great experience. It’s great to see how passionate you are about protecting your heart.

“We have supported the BHF because we know first-hand the heart-wrenching impact of heart and circulatory disease, and we are delighted to be able to continue to support their life-saving work as our new ambassadors.”

The band’s hit song “Don’t Stop Movin'” also has a perfect beat for learning CPR. Learning CPR will give you confidence that you can potentially save a life if you witness the ultimate medical emergency: cardiac arrest.

Equip students with lifesaving skills

Classroom RevivR is an innovative new interactive tool that makes it easy for students to learn how to use CPR and defibrillators in the classroom. It is PSHE accredited, meets curriculum standards and can be taught in one easy lesson plan, minimizing teacher workload.

There’s no need for an external trainer or a lot of specialized equipment, and Classroom RevivR is designed with busy teachers in mind. All students need is a mobile device and something to perform compressions, such as a cushion.

And the best part is that it’s completely free to use. Teachers lead the class as students follow simple steps to create a CPR superhero in under 45 minutes.

Young people work together to learn about the importance of CPR, how to recognize cardiac arrest, what to look out for when calling 999, how to perform CPR, and how to use a defibrillator.

More than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the UK each year. Sadly, less than 1 in 10 people survive, and we are determined to improve this statistic by giving everyone the opportunity to learn CPR.

If cardiac arrest occurs, prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation can be the difference between life and death.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “I was thrilled to join the S Club and visit Clapton Academy for Girls in Hackney this week to celebrate the launch of RevivR CPR training in classrooms in schools. Gain confidence to save lives in medical emergencies, which can mean the difference between life and death.

“We are also proud to announce that S Club has become our newest BHF Ambassador, helping us create a world without the fear of heart and circulatory disease, saving and improving countless lives. It helps us reach for the stars in our mission.”

Emma Readers, Head of Social Sciences at Clapton Academy for Girls, said: “It was a fantastic morning and I am delighted to be joining S Club and BHF as they continue to teach CPR to our students.” We were delighted to speak to her club about our school’s commitment to community heart health and our support and collaboration with the BHF. ”

Jenni Hammond, Royal Mail’s Charitable Partnerships Manager, said: “It was great to join the students at Clapton Academy for Girls and hear first-hand the impact Classroom RevivR CPR training has had.

It’s great to see programs like Classroom RevivR that we support through our colleague’s fundraising efforts and how it makes our communities safer. This will provide vital training to tomorrow’s lifesavers and give everyone the best chance of survival. ”

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