THE Evening Times’ bid to ensure EVERY Scottish pupil leaves school with life-saving CPR skills is gathering pace.

British Heart Foundation Scotland is in talks with 11 other local authorities who are keen to work towards an education policy that would ensure every pupil leaves school a life-saver.

Both Glasgow City Council and Aberdeen City have already committed to the life-saving lessons, with Aberdeen also pledging to look a the number of defibrillators.

The charity is now in talks with Angus, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Inverclyde, Perth & Kinross, Renfrew, South Lanarkshire, Borders and South Lanarkshire.

The BHF has pledged to supply free training kits to EVERY secondary Scotland at a cost of £1300 per school.

Our campaign - Scotland’s Got Heart - has been praised by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who said she “warmly welcomed” Glasgow’s decision and encouraged “everyone to take it up.”

It fits in with a Scottish Government target to train an extra 500,000 Scots in CPR by 2020.

Survival rates for cardiac arrest in Scotland lag behind the rest of the UK, with only one in 20 people surviving, compared to one in ten south of the border.

In Denmark, where CPR lessons are mandatory in schools, the survival rate is one in four.

Our national drive to has received cross-party support from Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour Shadow Health Spokesman and Conservative MSP Annie Wells.

David McColgan, Director of Policy, for BHF Scotland, said: "We have been delighted to see the response from Local Authorities right across Scotland since Glasgow and Aberdeen City Councils committed to ensuring all pupils who attend a Local Authority led secondary school will be trained in CPR.

“We are currently having very positive conversation with 11 Local Authorities who see the value and the impact training pupils in CPR would have on OHCA survival rates in their area.

We would welcome any and all Local Authorities who want to join the movement started by Glasgow and Aberdeen and look forward to the day when all 32 Local Authorities in Scotland make the commitment to ensure all pupils at secondary school are trained CPR and truly create a Nation of Lifesavers."