PUPILS at Kidderminster’s Holy Trinity Free School are switched on to life-saving – prompted by a local man who was rescued by a neighbour after a heart attack.

Retired engineer John Forsyth has called on schools to teach pupils how to carry out cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after his own close shave three years ago, when he collapsed on his neighbour's driveway in Linden Avenue, Kidderminster.

His neighbour, Greg Catherwood, acted immediately and started chest compressions until an air ambulance arrived, saving his life.

And Holy Trinity Free School, where Mr Forsyth volunteers at clubs and other activities and where his daughter Caroline Forsyth-Ball is a PTA member, has taken his pleas to heart.

Now Year 5 pupils take part in an annual, day-long St John Ambulance First Aid course to learn how to save lives.

And national cardiac charity SADS UK's "Big Shock" campaign has just handed over a defibrillator to the school, paying over half of the £1,500 cost.

Training to use the device - a potential life-saver if someone suffers a heart attack - will be carried out by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

The equipment works to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest - and the earlier it is used the better the chance of survival.

Michelle Howles, PTA chairman, said: “The committee members felt so strongly about this fantastic course that it was unanimously agreed to fund it for every single pupil in Year 5 and above, so that in the 2013-14 academic year, every pupil of a suitable age would receive the training and therefore would leave Holy Trinity being able to save a life.

“The pupils who went on the course all felt they learned a lot and we thought that having a defibrillator on site would be a natural next step in the project.

“I applied for support from SADS.

“They were wonderfully supportive and agreed to offer us a grant towards the equipment.

"The PTA committee unanimously agreed to fund the remaining 50 per cent of the cost of the item.

“The defibrillator will be available should any of the school community need it – be it children, staff, parents or any of the visitors to the site, for example, the swimming, ballet and martial arts clubs who meet there.”

Anne Jolly, founder of SADS UK, the Ashley Jolly SAD Trust, said: "Using CPR alone provides a five per cent chance of survival but using the defibrillator as well increases the chance of survival to over 50 per cent.

"This is why SADS UK is so passionate about putting this lifesaving equipment in place."

The "Big Shock" campaign aims to make defibrillators available in all schools.