Charity launches campaign after Manchester-region footballer's death

Ciaran Geddes

Related News

• Dulux staff spin off for charity bike ride - 29/05/12
• Bolton Veterans wrap up to raise money - 12/12/12
• Former Manchester City stars to play in charity match for fallen PCs - 08/11/12
• Jorgie Porter launches Manchester leg of Benefit Mascarathon - 21/06/12
• Charity founded in memory of baby who died at Greater Manchester nursery - 02/01/13

A charity have launched a campaign to raise money to put life-saving medical equipment in schools following the sudden death of a seven year-old Ciaran Geddes.

The Chester FC fan was playing football on Locking Stumps Primary School's playing fields when he collapsed on 17th April.

He was rushed to Warrington District Hospital but died from a suspected heart attack.

Charity Hand on Heart have a goal to prevent the deaths of the "12 young people who die due to sudden cardiac arrests each week" by providing schools with free defibrillators.

They are portable machines that provide an electric shock to the heart in some cases of cardiac arrest and they are thought of as urgent first-aids.

More than 270 children die at school every year.

Hand on Heart needs to raise £21,000 to provide defibrillators, CPR training and Basic Life Support lessons for pupils to the 12 secondary schools in Warrington.

Ciaran's death came weeks after Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed with a heart attack during a clash with Tottenham.

Muamba's plight won the hearts of the nation and Hand on Heart chairman David Howarth hopes that the awareness to sudden heart attacks will benefit their cause.

Chairman David Howarth said: "I don’t want to be sat here in six months having not achieved this and then a child dies in Warrington because we have not done anything about it.

"If a jumbo jet crashed every year carrying 270 people there would be a serious investigation but nobody is doing anything about it.

"I have four children all under the age of six and I wouldn't want to be in the position of knowing a defibrillator would have saved their life if it had been there."

An inquest into the Birchwood youngster's death has been opened and adjourned at Warrington Coroner's Court.

Last week the parents of 12 year-old Oliver King launched an e-petition to try and force Parliament to discuss the issue of defibrillators in schools.

Year seven pupil Oliver was a pupil at King David High School in Liverpool when he died during a swimming lesson in March 2011.