Vinnie Jones Joins BHF and Sky Bet’s CPR Campaign
A survey of 3,000 football fans revealed that 44% have been in situations where CPR was needed, yet many lack the knowledge and confidence to perform it.
Former Wimbledon midfielder Vinnie Jones is the latest football star to support the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) CPR campaign, co-led with Sky Bet.
The campaign, part of the "Every Minute Matters" initiative, features the 'Restarting 11'—a group of influential figures raising CPR awareness among their fans.
Jones, who has a longstanding relationship with the BHF and previously starred in a CPR ad campaign in 2012, is once again leading efforts to promote CPR awareness. This time, he partners with Sky Bet, which will help extend the initiative throughout the 2024/25 football season.
Steve Birch, Sky Bet's CCO, remarked:
“Our biggest goal with Every Minute Matters is making a real difference by funding the BHF’s vital work and getting more people to learn CPR. I can’t think of a better person to add to our team to continue the momentum towards 270,000 than Vinnie Jones.”
A survey of 3,000 football fans revealed that 44% have been in situations where CPR was needed, yet many lack the knowledge and confidence to perform it. The survey found that 42% of fans have never received CPR training, and 45% admitted they wouldn’t feel comfortable performing the lifesaving technique.
BHF Chief Executive, Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, commented:
“Vinnie’s star turn in BHF’s legendary ‘Hands Only CPR’ ad has played a huge role in helping save countless lives. For so many of us, ‘Staying Alive’ is the soundtrack of CPR, so it is a joy to have Vinnie backing our Sky Bet partnership to help hundreds of thousands more people learn this lifesaving skill.”
Fans are encouraged to use BHF’s free online tool, RevivR, which can teach them CPR in just 15 minutes using only a phone and a pillow.
The former Leeds star and Wales international added:
“Out of all my roles on and off the pitch, teaming up with Sky Bet and the BHF might just be one of my most important roles. It quite literally could be lifesaving. Sky Bet’s football fan survey shows that low awareness and lack of confidence are holding fans back from stepping up, but the reality is fans have nothing to fear as learning CPR is simple and easy and only takes 15 minutes with the BHF’s online RevivR tool. That’s why, this season, I’m urging football fans to back the Every Minute Matters campaign and ask themselves one simple question – will they stand by or will they step up to learn CPR and potentially save someone’s life.”
