To mark the training of its 5,000th trainee, Heartstart Malvern is set to give life-saving training to almost 150 secondary school pupils.

The training session will take place for year 10 pupils at Dyson Perrins School on Wednesday, January 24.

During the session, one of the pupils will be celebrated as the charity's 5,000th trainee.

This milestone goes hand in hand with the charity's expansion plan.

By 2027, which marks its 10-year landmark, the charity has announced plans to not only to train an additional 5,000 people, but also to install another 17 public access defibrillators.

Patron Lucy Chenevix-Trench said: "We are extremely grateful to our small team of wonderful volunteers, to the 5,000 people who have come forward for training so far, and to all the local groups and businesses who have raised over £50,000 to install our 33 public access defibrillators.

"Although we have achieved so much since our launch in 2017, with the survival rate from an out of hospital cardiac arrest is still less than 10 per cent in Worcestershire, and we still have a long way to go."

Mrs Chenevix-Trench added: "Our plans for the next three years are very ambitious and we do need help from the local community and businesses to come forward for training, and to help use raise the £34,000 needed for the additional defibrillators.

"We also need more volunteers to help us facilitate training sessions and to help with fundraising."

Heartstart Malvern began providing free cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillator training in January 2017, with an aim to increase the survival rate from cardiac arrests in Malvern and its surrounding area.

Anyone wanting more information about the charity or to book a course can visit www.heartstartmalvern.org.uk or call 07926 615812.