Comedian and BBC Presenter Elis James will cycle over 90km from Swansea City to Cardiff City alongside former Swansea striker Lee Trundle as the Sky Bet EFL Every Minute Matters Relay passed through Welsh clubs at the weekend to inspire supporters to learn lifesaving CPR.
The Sky Bet EFL Every Minute Matters Relay, which kicked off on 25th March, is a gruelling 4,000-kilometer 28-day journey that will feature an incredible 72 legs stopping off at each and every EFL club before culminating at Wembley on 21st April.
The truly unique charity event will see supporters of each EFL club team up with former football stars and celebrity fans to either run, walk or cycle each leg. The nationwide relay is currently weaving its way through Wales and on Saturday 30th March Cardiff City fans joined Rhodri Thomas, Head of BHF Cymru, who will be cycling over 75km from Cardiff City Stadium to Swansea City. On Sunday 30th March, Elis James and Lee Trundle continued onwards from Elis’ beloved Swansea, cycling a further 90km to get to Newport County.
Comedian, BBC Five Live presenter, lifelong Swansea City fan and relay participant Elis James added: “It’s truly humbling to hear stories like of those impacted by cardiac arrest. CPR is a vital skill that helps save thousands of lives every year and with the help of Swansea fans and the fans of every EFL club we can hopefully save thousands more. While CPR may seem scary, the reality is anyone from any background can learn in just 15 minutes. My message to supporters of all clubs is simple – commit just 15 minutes of time to learn lifesaving CPR and together we can make a huge impact.”
Rhodri Thomas, Head of BHF Cymru said: “When I learned the Every Minute Matters Relay was coming through Wales, I knew I had to play my part. Each year in Wales, around 2,800 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and tragically just one in 20 survive; we need to do everything we can to improve this statistic. To be honest, I’m more of a rugby fan than a football fan but I’m doing this to highlight the importance of CPR. I look forward to joining the relay teams in Cardiff and Wrexham to encourage more people across Wales to learn CPR.”
CPR can make the difference between life and death. Each month more than 2,500 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK and tragically less than one in 10 survive, often because those around them don’t have the confidence to perform CPR. Every minute that passes reduces the chances of survival by 10%.
Swansea City’s club captain, Ben Cabango, said: “The football community has seen first-hand that cardiac arrest doesn’t discriminate, it can happen to anyone at any time that’s why at Swansea City, we’re passionate about supporting the Sky Bet Every EFL Every Minute Matters Relay.”Cabango continued: “CPR is a vital skill that helps save thousands of lives every year and with the help of our fans and the fans of every EFL club we can save thousands more. Sky Bet has stepped up with the cash, all we need from our fans is their time. If we all commit just 15 minutes to learn lifesaving CPR we can make a huge impact.”
Big name footie icons and celebrities involved in the nationwide relay include: ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce, Jack Wilshere, Graeme Souness, Tom Lockyer, Glenn Hoddle, Dion Dublin, Troy Deeney, Elis James, Maisie Adams and Sir Tony Robinson.*
Race to 270,000
The Sky Bet EFL relay comes almost a year after Sky Bet teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to launch Every Minute Matters with the goal of encouraging an incredible 270,000 to learn CPR by the end of the 2024-2025 football season – equivalent to three Wembley Stadiums.
With two months to go, the campaign has so far encouraged 235,000 people to start learning CPR – meaning the final target is within reach.
Sky Bet separately pledged £3 million to the British Heart Foundation – based on the goals scored by EFL players up and down the country. In February alone, Sky Bet donated £550,000 based on the 445 goals scored during the month – and 11 winning goals in extra time.
Together we can make a real difference
Fans can show their support by learning CPR in just 15 minutes with the help of the BHFs free, simple and easy to use online tool, RevivR.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “The Every Minute Matters campaign is truly lifesaving. Hundreds of thousands of people have already been encouraged to learn CPR, and through the efforts of participants and talent taking part in Sky Bet’s EFL Relay, we know many more will be inspired to learn this vital skill.
“We will be cheering Rhodri, Elis and Lee on and want to thank them in joining the BHF’s mission to ensure more lives are saved from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.”
To learn CPR in just 15 minutes, visit https://revivr.bhf.org.uk/efl
