AN adult education college is aiming to double the number of people trained to be lifesavers after a campaign has seen 700 people receive the essential training.

Lancashire Adult Learning (LAL) has trained people on how to spot the signs and symptoms and recognising the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, how to administer treatment correctly in a lifesaving situation, where to access a defibrillator in an emergency and use it effectively.

The campaign was launched after former County Councillor, Tony Jones, was saved by colleagues with the help of a nearby defibrillator after collapsing during a Lancashire County Council meeting at County Hall in Preston in September 2017.

So far, 84 courses have been delivered and the 700 people trained up are from across Lancashire’s 12 districts.

Director of Curriculum at Lancashire Adult Learning, Andy Parkin, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that our first year of training up members of the public has been so successful, supporting the Lancashire Lifesavers campaign.

“We believe that everyone should have lifesaving skills, and our training is very simple in providing people with the knowledge and the confidence to act swiftly and effectively in an emergency situation where a life is at risk.

“We will re-boot the campaign again in September to create even more lifesavers in Lancashire.”

Lancashire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Shaun Turner, said: “It is fantastic that we have 700 more Lancashire Lifesavers on the streets of our towns and villages, right across the 12 districts of the county.

“I’d like to thank the Lancashire Adult Learning team for showing such commitment in their support of the campaign and I’m delighted to see that 95% of their team are trained up with these incredibly valuable lifesaving skills too.”