Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) teach Albion players CPR

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Bruce Talbot

2025-10-16T07:00+01:00

Jon Honeyman, left, and Martyn Wood with Danny Welbeck. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

We’re proud to have teamed up again with the amazing crew at Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) to help save the lives of more people who suffer cardiac arrest.

Danny Welbeck, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marisa Olislagers and Jelena Cankovic took part in hands-on CPR and defibrillator training, led by expert doctors and paramedics from KSS. Last month, players from the men’s under-18s and women’s under-19s also took part in training.

Every day across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, around 25 people suffer cardiac arrest in the community or at home. Surprisingly, most happen in people’s homes, so it’s likely that a family member or loved one could be the person who needs to act fast to save the life of their mum, dad, daughter, son, grandparent or best friend.

Sadly, only one in 10 people currently survive, and chance of survival falls by 10% every minute without CPR and use of a defibrillator.

The moments directly after a cardiac arrest are the most important. By starting to give CPR and using a defibrillator in those first few crucial seconds and minutes, ahead of the emergency services arriving, you can more than double your loved one’s chance of survival.

The KSS online training is free, suitable for all ages and takes just 30 minutes, with air ambulance crew members taking you through every step to become a lifesaver.

Danny said, “It’s been brilliant. I’m 100% a lot more confident than I was before if I ever need to do CPR or use a defibrillator, it’s a very important skill to have. The paramedics teaching us were incredible, the work they do is so amazing. We are lucky as footballers to be surrounded by medical staff and people who are trained to look after us, but I’m very thankful to learn it myself.”

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Jan Paul added, “You never know how you might react in a situation like a cardiac arrest, but now I know how to do CPR I feel more confident. It’s good to learn something which can help save lives.”

KSS Medical Director, Dr Duncan Bootland, said, “We know that family and friends, or even neighbours, are critically important in giving CPR and using a defibrillator in those first crucial moments. Survival from cardiac arrest is a team effort and that’s why we’re asking people to join our army of lifesavers.”

Former KSS patients Martyn Wood and Jon Honeyman know all too well the difference immediate bystander CPR and use of defibrillator can make. Their extraordinary story began when they both suffered cardiac arrests on the same morning while exercising, just a few minutes and miles apart. Thankfully, people who were there acted fast to begin CPR ahead of KSS and other emergency services arriving at the scene.

Martyn said, “Quite a few people gave me CPR, and I think it has given them such a great feeling to know that they helped save somebody’s life! Imagine if it was one of your family and you were standing there helplessly because you didn’t know what to do. We were both so lucky to have people around us that knew how to do CPR.”