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H
eartstart Thatcham has been going from
strength-to-strength since it was officially
formed nearly four years ago.
What started as an idea to provide people
with basic life support skills has exceeded all
expectations and grown into a charity spanning
West Berkshire, with one mission in mind.
Scheme coordinator Nick Young is clear about
their aim: “Our goal is simple, to make a
difference, to save lives.
“This won’t change, but the way we achieve it
is always evolving.
“It is done through raising awareness and
educating as many people as possible, with
talks and practical training on emergency
life support skills and to deploy defibrillators,
the tools required in the ultimate medical
emergency – a cardiac arrest.”
For Dr Young, the charity’s work is, quite
literally, close to his heart.
Months after establishing Heartstart Thatcham,
he was rushed in to the coronary care unit at
the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading to have
his heart shocked back into rhythm. He now
lives with a heart condition, medication and a
defibrillator in his chest.
“Having been through that I can appreciate
just how vital these skills and equipment are,
but also without the skills of the South Central
Ambulance Service team and CCU staff I
would not be here to train others,” Dr Young
said.
It brings a sense of comfort to know that
the skills supplied by Heartstart Thatcham
have been used in real-life emergencies by
instructors and trainees.
While he could not discuss the finer detail of
the incidents, Dr Young said people had been
able to put skills to use, ranging from placing a
person in the recovery position to calling 999.
“Knowing the skills have been used and
have made a difference makes everything
worthwhile and the team proud.”
The first beats of Heartstart Thatcham started
when Dr Young held public meetings and
exhibitions six years ago in a bid to try and
find the right people to cover all roles of the
organisation.
Dr Young said that he wanted a scheme that
provided vital life support skills to people
quicker and cheaper than other first aid
courses available.
“We wanted to give people the basic skills
that they could use to cope in an emergency
to support a casualty until professional help
arrives and to make this available to as many
people as possible.
“Thus we provide short training courses for
free.”
Heartstart Thatcham was officially formed in
May 2013 and became one of Mike Cole’s
chosen charities during his year as the mayor
of Thatcham.
Heartbeat
Thoughts of February turn to affairs of the heart and the
prospects of love on Valentine’s Day. While the month is noted
as heart month and officially marked as American Heart Month,
the passion for heart safety locally is kept going throughout the
year by Heartstart Thatcham. John Herring talks to the charity’s
founder Dr Nick Young
Nick Young has a PhD in Electronic
Engineering and taught engineering and
computing in HE and FE for a number
of years. He is now an independent web
developer and IT trainer.
His interest in local history started when
his grandfather would tell him what various
places around Thatcham and Newbury used
to be like. He has since given numerous talks
on local history and has published four books
on the subject, with more on the way.
He got into first aid after taking his first
course in 2000.
He has been volunteering in the local
community for a number of years – he was
vice chair of Thatcham Vision, is involved
with Thatcham Festival, set-up the Peter
Allen Memorial lectures, which raise money
for the British Heart Foundation, and has also
been chair of Thatcham Historical Society.
the ideal of a
nation of lifesavers
could soon be
achieved if every
child left school with
basic first aid skills
Heartstart Thatcham’s first session
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