EVERY secondary school pupil in the Lothians will now be taught how to save the life of someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest, after campaigning by the Evening Times and British Heart Foundation Scotland.

Midlothian Council has joined East and West Lothian in pledging to roll out training to all secondary school pupils.

The commitment means more than three quarters of Scotland’s local authorities - 25 of 32 - have now promised to roll out the training to all pupils.

Glasgow became the first local authority to make the pledge in May last year.

Councillor Jim Muirhead, Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “This is a fantastic initiative to give our young people vital, life-saving skills.

“Learning CPR will build their confidence and allow them to step-in and help someone in need.”

Daniel Jones, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, BHF Scotland, said: “ Less than one in twelve people in Scotland survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest, partly because too few bystanders have the expertise or confidence to perform CPR.

“We want this to change and this is a significant step that promises to improve the odds of survival for anyone who has a cardiac arrest in the future.”