A CROSS-PARTY group of politicians will be uniting for a good cause today – and you won’t see them arguing over parties or policies.

If that’s a surprise in itself, you might be more shocked to discover that they’re being taught some of Vinnie Jones’ ‘hard and fast’ skills by students…

That’s because they will learn how to do hands-only CPR thanks to a group of fifth year students as part of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Happy Hearts Appeal.

It’s the 25th year of Happy Hearts, and this year it is raising money for a special ‘hand-only’ CPR campaign run by IHF.

Today, politicians including Senator Jillian Van Turnhout, Caoimhghin O Caolain TD, Denis Naughten TD, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, and Senator Fergal Quinn will learn what hands-only CPR involves.

The technique – which doesn’t replace traditional CPR but enables people to help in the case of cardiac arrest – will be taught to the politicians by fifth year students and IHF resuscitation experts.

The funds raised by the sales of the €2 happy hearts will go towards a campaign that the IHF wants to run this year to show that anyone can do hands-only CPR.

What is hands-only CPR?

A spokesperson explained that this technique can help in tackling sudden cardiac arrest.

This type of cardiac arrest causes 5000 deaths in Ireland annually. “Hands-only CPR is compression only CPR,” explained the spokesperson. “Even if you’ve never been trained in CPR, or if you are trained, in the case of a collapse you could have a go.”

It involves pressing on the centre of the chest ‘hard and fast’ two inches deep.

“If somebody collapses with a cardiac arrest it’s fearful for the people there,” said the spokesperson.

In the UK, Vinnie Jones fronted the British Heart Foundation’s hands-only CPR campaign:

“It’s not in replacement of official CPR training, but it’s to have someone do something rather than nothing in the case of collapse,” said the spokesperson.

The Irish Heart Foundation’s 25th Happy Hearts Appeal runs from 15-17 May and is  supported by SuperValu, which is raising donations through the sale of happy heart badges for €2.

The IHF is also asking people on Twitter what makes their heart happy, using the #makesmyhearthappy hashtag.

Read: Dublin hurler set for 1,100km cycle to raise money for heart charities>

Read: A man, woman or child dies from heart disease and stroke every hour in Ireland>

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