Edward has met with the team from The Oliver King Foundation in Westminster to show his continued support for their work, and to highlight their current campaign for every school to have a defibrillator by 2020.
The Oliver King Foundation was set up in 2012 following the death of 12-year-old Oliver. He died from a sudden cardiac arrest whilst at school. If a defibrillator had been available on that day, it could have saved Oliver’s life. Every single year in the UK 600 young people die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. It is estimated that 270 of these deaths occur in school. Early access to a defibrillator is vital. For every minute that passes following a cardiac arrest, chances of survival drop by 10%. Out of all cardiac arrests that happen outside of hospital the chances of survival around the country are between 7 and 10%. Yet studies have shown that access to a defibrillator can increase survival rates by a massive 75%.
Commenting, Edward said: “I am proud to support the Oliver King Foundation in their campaign to get a defibrillator in every school. In Charnwood we are lucky to have the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust as a local charity that does amazing work on this issue as well, and I will continue to work with both charities and with local schools to get more lifesaving defibrillators in our area. It was inspiring to hear from the Foundation about the19 lives saved by defibrillators the Foundation has personally placed around the UK and I wish them, and all other organisations campaigning on this hugely important issue, every success in their work”