CHILDREN are being trained to save lives at a North-East primary school.

A defibrillator has been installed at St George’s Academy in Darlington and its pupils have been learning how to use it.

The idea to buy the machine came from a parent who believed it was vital in helping people – both young and old - to survive cardiac arrest.

The lifesaving piece of equipment was purchased for the school by a group of dedicated fundraisers.

The Friends of St George’s and pupils held regular events in a bid to raise the money needed to buy the defibrillator.

The machine was sourced from the Hand on Heart charity which also provided training and basic first aid skills for eight members of staff and a number of pupils.

Year five pupil Matthew Poole was one of those trained to save lives.

He said: “The training was fun and easy to do, they told us how the defibrillator works and why it can save lives.

“It makes me feel safer having one in school.”

Louise Senical from the Friends of St George’s said: “We know there are a few children at the school with heart issues so this was close to home for us.

“Although heart attacks are often thought to be a problem for old people, between 12 and 16 young people die each week and eight out of ten of them will have had no previous symptoms.

“St George’s is a busy village school and the school building is used for other community groups, including the local church.

“Every day there’s a range of age groups using the school and church and the defibrillator is accessible for everyone.

“Raising money to put it on school premises seemed to be the perfect project for the Friends of St George’s.”