A paramedic from Crystal Palace has taken it upon himself to give lifesaving skills to his community.

Tim Chivers, 49, has worked as a paramedic for the NHS for the past 13 years and as a community resuscitation officer.

After an incident close to his home in January this year, he decided to take matters into his own hands and set up training to help save lives.

He took to Facebook to make a plea for a venue, and was inundated with responses.

MORE TOP STORIES Mr Chivers, 49, said: “It highlighted the need for some training in the community, I really want to give something back.

“This training can absolutely save lives and I'm keen to train my community.

“Cardiac arrest can affect anyone. It's more common in the elderly but the recent incident in January was in a normal fit person. It was quite rare.

“It's heartbreaking for us when we turn up and see people willing but unable to assist, people don't know what to do and the training is so simple.

“I've found that people think there’s a danger when using a defibrillator.”

The sessions are due to take place at Foresters Hall on Westow Street, with the owner offering the space for free.

Mr Chivers, from Gipsy Hill added: “I was quite surprised by the response within a day I had got several offers for space.

“It's really generous of them; it's good for the community.”

Each session is around two and half hours long, and Mr Chivers will teach key life saving skills.

These include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), how to deal with cardiac problems, heart attacks, angina and defibrillator training with attendees receiving a certificate valid for two years.

He said: “It’s the first time I’ve organised something like this by myself. I wanted to offer it for free but unfortunately there’s no incentive for people to turn up.

“The more people that are trained the better; I'm going to keep going as long as there's interest.”

Working as part of the Shockingly Easy campaign, he hopes to get a defibrillator with easy public access in Crystal Palace.

Running on March 6 and 10, sessions start at 7pm and cost around £25. To book contact Antonette on 02077832534

For more information visit: londonambulance.nhs.uk