The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) are calling for members of the public to learn CPR and help set a Guinness World Record on Thursday 10th October.
A livestream event – Restart a Heart Live – will be hosted on YouTube and needs 1,500 people to tune into one of the sessions to set the new record. Members of the public are encouraged join one of the sessions, which are running on the hour from 9am to 8pm.
In addition to CPR training, each 25-minute session will provide education on how to use a defibrillator and what to expect when you dial 999.
The world record attempt is being led by Lee Myers, SAS Paramedic Clinical Team Leader who has trained hundreds of primary and secondary students across the Scottish Borders in CPR skills and defibrillator awareness over his career so far.
Lee said: “Currently only one in ten people in Scotland survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest and the likelihood of that person surviving drops by 10% for every minute someone does not attempt CPR. The key to more people surviving is training in schools and with the public.
“Through Restart a Heart Live we want to train as many people as possible in how to do hands only CPR and how to use a defibrillator. By taking part in this training, we hope that people will have the confidence to attempt CPR on someone who’s life depends on it. So, join us on Thursday 10th October to support your community and be part of a Guinness World Record attempt.”
Lisa MacInnes, Director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign said: “Learning how to help someone in the event of a cardiac arrest is one of the ways we look out for each other.
“Everyone in Scotland should know how to do CPR and use a defibrillator. Join us on October 10th to learn how.”
● Sacha Dench (The Human Swan) is currently undertaking a World Record attempt as part of the Round Britain Climate Challenge and visited The AIG Women’s Open this week ● Flying around Britain on a journey powered solely by green energy, Sacha will be encouraging people to make their own individual commitments to slow climate change
Together with its partners ekko and HELPFUL, Mastercard has pledged to donate and plant 75,000 trees in support of the Round Britain Climate Challenge, the first ever circumnavigation attempt of mainland Britain with an electric paramotor.
Equating to roughly 25 trees planted for every mile of the trip, the Mastercard pledge made alongside its Priceless Planet Coalition partners is part of the company’s ongoing drive to tackle climate change, encourage sustainability, and equip its network to be a positive force for the environment. Working with Conservation International, trees will be planted in Sacha’s original home country of Australia as well as Kenya and Brazil.
As an official Patron of The AIG Women’s Open and to celebrate the expedition, Mastercard brought Sacha Dench, known as The Human Swan, together with Mastercard ambassador and golf pro Brooke Henderson at Carnoustie Golf Links on Wednesday to highlight how we can come together to battle climate change.
The R&A also partners with Mastercard on sustainable practices. On site at the Championship Course, water stations have been installed as part of The Open Water Initiative.
The initiative was first launched in 2019 during The 148th Open at Royal Portrush with the aim to remove all single use plastic water bottles at the Championship and has proved successful with 244,000 single-plastic bottles saved collectively in 2019 and 2021 so far at the Mastercard sponsored events.
Carnoustie will be equipped with contactless modules for fans to make voluntary donations of £1.50 to the Priceless Planet Coalition.
Scott Abrahams, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Mastercard UK & Ireland said, “We are proud to pledge 75,000 trees in support of the Round Britain Climate Challenge.
“It is an exciting and pioneering expedition, tackling climate change head-on and crucially raising awareness in the UK. At Mastercard we share the same common goal which includes our Priceless Planet Coalition commitments to restore 100 million trees by 2025. Today is another step towards achieving that goal alongside our fintech and sporting partners, to create a greener, more sustainable planet.”
Sacha Dench, Round Britain Climate Challenge pilot, commented: “Britain drove the Industrial Revolution, can we drive the Green Revolution too? This is one of the questions that the Round Britain Climate Challenge is trying to answer and we all have a part to play.
“I am delighted that Mastercard is undertaking this pledge to plant so many trees – such a vitally important factor in combating the climate emergency – whilst also taking action at events such as The Women’s Open.”
Brooke Henderson, Mastercard ambassador and golf professional, added: “It was great meeting Sacha today to hear more about how we can tackle climate change, not just in the UK but around the world.
“The Women’s Open, and golf more broadly, is an opportunity to raise awareness so I’m pleased to see The R&A and Mastercard taking action to be more sustainable.”
Oli Cook, CEO & Co-Founder of ekko, said:“We’re proud to support Sacha and The Round Britain Climate Challenge with this pledge to donate and plant trees.
“We’re committed to positive change and turning the tide on climate change at ekko and Sacha is doing just that by raising awareness and encouraging climate action.”
Evan Michaels, Co-Founder and CEO of Helpful commented: “We are excited to support Sasha in this great expedition. It aligns perfectly with our mission here at HELPFUL to raise awareness about climate change and sustainable living to millions of people around the country.
“We want to inspire people to consider their shopping choices and along with our pledge to plant 75,000 tree with our partners at Priceless Planet Coalition, we hope to play a small part in creating a healthier planet.”
Sacha Dench, who set off in June, is leading the 3000+ mile journey and world record attempt for the longest ever flight in an electric paramotor. She has been stopping frequently, talking with, filming, and gathering information from industry, innovators and entrepreneurs, local heroes, communities, schools, farmers and individuals – anybody interested in or involved in addressing the effects of climate change in their areas.
A compilation of these stories will be presented at COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.
Fans at Carnoustie and people across the UK can Start Something Priceless by donating a tree via the Mastercard Priceless Planet page. Mastercard will match every tree donated on this link.
Volunteers needed to aid local world record attempt
The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) and Craig Gowans Memorial Fund are recruiting hundreds of volunteers to get the ball rolling at an upcoming World Record attempt for the longest 11-a-side football match of all time.
Friends, family and teammates of the late Falkirk defender Craig Gowans are hosting the Guinness World Record attempt in memory of the young football star, and require the help of a vast range of volunteers to help make the event a success.
The Memorial Fund was set up by Craig’s family and friends following his tragic death to ensure that his memory is used as a driving force for good.
This four day mega-match will take place at Ainslie Park, Home of Spartans FC, from 4 – 8 July, with all proceeds going to the SKFF.
The participating players aim to complete at least 103 hours of football in order to beat the current World Record which was recently set in Southampton. In order to complete this mammoth football challenge the charity are calling for people of all skills to support the fundraising efforts.
Volunteers needed include referees, stewards, physiotherapists, general helpers, as well as people to assist with the event setup and tidy up.
The Craig Gowans Guinness World Record Football Match is expected to raise more than £37,000 for the Foundation. The money will be used to open a state-of-the-art Snoezelen Room in Craig’s name at the new Sick Kids Hospital in Little France. This calming space will use cutting edge multi-sensory equipment to provide a vital, stimulating area for young patients with sensory impairments.
Jonny Wallace, one of Craig’s closest school friends and an advocate of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund said: “We have organised many fundraisers in the past in memory of Craig but this epic match will be one of our biggest challenges to date and we need help from lots of volunteers for the event to run smoothly.
“Volunteers make all the difference to the success of our events and we would really appreciate any level of help for our upcoming World Record attempt whether it is for one day or all four.”
Rachel McKenzie, Head of Voluntary Fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We’re extremely grateful that the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund has chosen to raise funds for the Foundation. Their upcoming world record football match looks set to be a very demanding challenge and we urge anyone that can help them during the event to show their support and sign up for a volunteer’s role online.”
To register as a volunteer at the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund World Record Breaking Football Match
