Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is appealing for volunteers to help deliver CPR training at secondary schools on Restart a Heart Day.

A total of 182 secondary schools from across the region - more than ever before - are taking part in the event on Thursday, 16th October 2025 which means that over 35,000 students will learn the life-saving skill in one day!

More than 500 off-duty Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff and Community First Responders, as well as volunteers from some partner organisations, have already signed up to help provide the training but additional volunteers are still needed.

Each school is allocated a team of volunteers including one lead volunteer, who has overall responsibility for the event at that specific location. The training is delivered by the lead with the aid of a tutorial video. The volunteers are there to support the practical element of the training and don’t have to have a clinical background to take part, just a basic understanding of CPR is required.

Volunteers are still needed in all areas but particularly in Halifax and Todmorden, as well as Bradford, Dewsbury, Leeds, Doncaster, Barnsley, Goole, Hull, Beverley, Pocklington, Snaith and Scarborough.

Volunteers can register by completing this form.

They are also looking for staff who can undertake the lead volunteer role at the locations listed below in West Yorkshire:

West Yorkshire
School/college	Location
14+ Academies (Leeds City College)	Park Lane, Leeds
Beckfoot Thornton School	Thornton, Bradford
Beckfoot Upper Heaton	Bradford
Bradford College	Bradford
Bradford Girls' Grammar School	Squire Lane, Bradford
Castle Hill Academy	Mirfield
Cockburn John Charles Academy	Leeds
Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy	Leeds
Cockburn School	Beeston, Leeds
Ethos College	Dewsbury
Leeds City College - Quarry Hill campus	Leeds
Manor Croft Academy	Dewsbury
Oasis Academy Lister Park	Clayton, Bradford
Oulton Academy	Oulton, Leeds
St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy	Dewsbury
The Brooksbank School	Elland, Halifax
The Calder Learning Trust	Hebden Bridge
The Farnley Academy	Leeds
The King's School	Pontefract
Thornhill Community Academy	Dewsbury
Todmorden High School	Todmorden

The lead volunteers will be responsible for:

• conducting a pre-event site visit at their assigned school at the earliest opportunity to establish contact and identify potential issues.
• being the main contact for volunteers, briefing them on their roles, ensuring DBS certificates (if available) are provided, and keeping them updated.
• ensuring they, and their volunteers, are familiar with the training video and that additional documentation from the Restart a Heart team has been reviewed.
• overseeing the event on Restart a Heart Day at their assigned school on 16 October 2025.
• ensuring each 25-30 minute-session includes a brief introduction (delivered by the lead or one of the volunteers), the training video, and student practice on manikins with volunteers' support.

For more information visit the Restart a Heart website, refer to the Restart a Heart Day Volunteer Information Pack or email yas.restartaheart@nhs.net.

There are also lead volunteers needed at schools in North, East and South Yorkshire. 

North Yorkshire
School/college	Location
Archbishop Holgate's School	York
Graham School	Scarborough
Pocklington School	Pocklington
Risedale School	Catterick Garrison
Ryedale School	Norton, Malton
Scalby School	Scalby, Scarborough
The Rubicon Centre	Selby

 

East Yorkshire
School/college	Location
Bishop Burton College	Bishop Burton
St Mary's College	Hull
The Boulevard Academy	Hull

 

 

South Yorkshire
School/college	Location
Ash Hill Academy	Hatfield, Doncaster
Kirk Balk Academy	Hoyland, Barnsley
Meadowhead School Academy Trust	Sheffield
New College Doncaster	Auckley, Doncaster
Outwood Academy Shafton	Shafton, Barnsley
Serlby Park Academy	Bircotes, Doncaster