Jamie Carragher will meet the Education Secretary today to push for a change in legislation to make it mandatory for schools to have a defibrillator on site.
Jamie and Mark King from the Oliver King Foundation will meet Nadhim Zahawi to discuss the practicalities of ensuring every school in the country has a life-saving defibrillator. The Oliver King Foundation was founded in 2012 after Mark's son Oliver tragically died during a school swimming race.
Oliver was just 12 when he died from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, a hidden heart condition which kills 12 young people a week. It's estimated 270 children die each year from the condition. Oliver's parents have been campaigning for a change in the law to make defibrillators mandatory in all schools, with more than 60 lives being saved because of the charity's work.
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Jamie and Mark are now discussing the practicalities of having defibrillators in every school following a successful day in Westminster last week where the pair lobbied MPs and Lords over changing the legislation. It also follows a meeting they had with former Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson last summer, where good progress was made around the same issue before Mr Williamson was removed from office.
Mark King said: “This is the most important moment in the history of the foundation as getting this legislation implemented will save the lives of hundreds of young children across the country. It is exactly what we have been working so hard for in the past decade and we have heard this meeting is going to give us the news we all hope for.
“We have achieved so much so far, but this legislation will take things even further and save even more lives. Having a defibrillator in every school will make sure families don’t have to go through the experience my family went through when we lost Oliver.”
