Residents in Haverhill, Suffolk, have the opportunity to learn vital life-saving skills during two free training sessions on 14 May 2026. The sessions, which cover basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to use a defibrillator, will be held at The EpiCentre on the Haverhill Research Park.
The training is being delivered by volunteers from the Haverhill Community First Responders, a local group supported by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, who often provide initial care before ambulances arrive. These sessions are part of the EEAST Heart programme, a community education initiative run by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust and funded by donations to the East of England Ambulance Service Charity.
Participants can choose between a morning session from 9:00 to 11:00 or an afternoon session from 11:30 to 13:00. Organisers are encouraging community members to attend, as learning these techniques can significantly improve survival outcomes for those experiencing a cardiac arrest.
Health experts note that for every minute that passes without cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator, a person’s chance of survival drops by approximately 10 per cent. Conversely, access to early defibrillation within three to five minutes of a collapse can increase survival rates by as much as 50 to 70 per cent.
These skills are particularly relevant to the town, where emergency response times remain a point of local concern. In 2025, the average response time for life-threatening Category 1 calls in Haverhill was 12 minutes, which is higher than the national target of seven minutes.
The EpiCentre, which hosts this training, was developed with support from West Suffolk Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority as a hub for local innovation.
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