Red Sky Foundation marks Start a Heart day with Stayin' Alive flash mob

The Red Sky Foundation is making a real song and dance about life-saving CPR training.

The Sunderland heart health education charity held a .flash mob in The Bridges to mark nation Start a Heart Day, with students from Ace Performers dance school performing a specially-choreographed dance to the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive.

Start A Heart Day aims to raise awareness of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), the life-saving technique that can keep a cardiac arrest patent alive until medical help arrives.

The Red Sky Foundation was originally set up by Sergio and Emma Petrucci to raise money for the RVI's Children's Heart Unit after their daughter Lina underwent vital surgery there shortly after she was born.

Since then, it has expanded into spreading the message about cardiac health and has installed dozens of defibrillators across the city and further afield.

The charity has even installed a CPRV practice dummy outside its unit in The Bridges, complete with instructional video, on which visitors to the centre can learn and practice CPR.

Sergio said public awareness of CPR was vital, with every second precious when it comes to saving the life of a cardia arrest patient: "Without doing this, the chance of survival is a lot, lot lower," he said.

""For every minute that passes, the chance of a person surviving drops by seven per cent. The reason that we do this is to maintain that blood flow around the brain and the other vital organs.

"The idea of today is that anybody can actually do CPR, anybody can use a defibrillator - the important thing is to find out how to do it and you can get onto our website, which is redskyfoundation.com."

Last year the foundation joined forces with Sunderland Lions Club for the return of the Boxing Day Dip - and the two are again working together to organise the 2023 event.

Dippers pay a flat rate of £10 to enter, and are free to keep anything they raise through sponsorship or donate it to be divided between the Lions and the Foundation.

To enter, go to https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/BOXINGDAYDIP