A STUDENT who saved a man’s life using CPR skills she’d learned as a schoolgirl is urging secondary schools to sign-up for a training initiative.

Martha Hogg – whose parents live at Cononley – is encouraging others to take part in the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Restart a Heart Day, being held in October.

It was through the annual event – in 2015, when Martha was a pupil at Skipton Girls’ High School – that she received tuition in CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Last year, the 21-year-old was working at Caffé Nero in Skipton during a break from studying psychology at Newcastle University when a customer collapsed in cardiac arrest.

She started performing CPR and thanks to her prompt actions, Ilkley man Keith Procter – now 72 – survived and has made a good recovery.

In recognition of her efforts, Martha was made an ambassador for Restart a Heart Day – which, through a team of more than 800 volunteers, provides CPR training to 45,000 students in a single day.

“I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I had the skills and confidence to be able to save Keith’s life,” she said.

“Teaching CPR to young people in schools through events like Restart a Heart Day is so important – what’s better than knowing that you could help save the life of a friend, family member or even a stranger in the street?

“I would encourage all secondary schools to take part in this year’s Restart a Heart Day and give their pupils the skills they need to really make a difference if someone has a cardiac arrest.”

Martha’s story is celebrated in a video released by Yorkshire Ambulance Service to mark the launch of this year’s Restart a Heart Day, which takes place on Friday, October 16.

The video can be viewed at youtu.be/H94mSj1Gs-8.

Jason Carlyon, senior community engagement lead with the ambulance service, said: “Providing by-stander CPR within the first few minutes of someone having a cardiac arrest is vital and Martha’s story is testimony to that. The more people we can educate, the more lives we will be able to save.”

In the past six years, Restart a Heart Day has provided free CPR training to more than 151,000 youngsters at over 80 per cent of Yorkshire’s secondary schools.

The venture is staged in partnership with the Resuscitation Council (UK), British Heart Foundation and St John Ambulance.

Equipment is provided free by the British Heart Foundation and certificates are presented to all pupils who complete the session.

Schools wishing to take part can register at restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk.

The deadline for registering is Friday, April 3.