News

Sports student turns life saver

Published 24 May 2011

University of Brighton sport coaching student Jamie Bristow-Diamond has been credited with saving the life of a teenager whose heart stopped when he was hit in the chest by a cricket ball.

Jamie Bristow-Diamond, a year one student at Chelsea School in Eastbourne, was playing for Bexhill when a team member from the opposing team Lewes Priory was struck by the ball.

Jamie, 19, used first aid skills learned when he was a lifeguard at a leisure centre in Hastings to resuscitate the 17-year-old. Jamie applied chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing techniques and, eventually, the boy's heart started beating. He later received specialist hospital treatment.

Jamie said: "I have spoken to him in hospital and he's doing okay now. I feel proud for what I did but first I'm just glad he's going to be alright."

Jim Wallis, Sport Coaching course leader, paid tribute to Jamie: "He is quietly competent and carries out his studies with professionalism and diligence. It has been clear from the onset of his studies that he has a great deal to offer in the world of coaching and has visibly grown over the course of the first year.

"Having joined the course from one of our progression accord schools Jamie has shown that he has a high level of both practical and academic skills which have seen him develop into a popular member of the group.

"It is fitting that it is skills learned in addition to his core programme that have served him so well in averting this potential tragedy. It is also unsurprising that Jamie acted so responsibly and calmly under such unimaginable pressure.

"Jamie learned his CPR and emergency aid skills whilst studying for the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification. Many students arrive at the university with either this qualification or variations of first aid. By the end of year two all students studying sport coaching receive an externally accredited first aid qualification, including emergency aid.

"The vast majority of our students are engaged in both practical coaching of sport as well as pursuing their own competitive sport.

"We hope that they will never have to use the skills generated by their first aid courses but the nature of sport suggests that students will be presented with these kinds of scenarios at some stage of their careers.

"I am very pleased that Jamie was prepared to step into the position of first responder and that the whole situation had a positive outcome."

Eastbourne Sports Centre is an accredited lifeguard training centre which runs student-subsidised courses each year. It recently obtained a 97 per cent training centre rating from the Institute of Qualified Lifeguards. A member of the centre staff, Faris Al Askari, recently saved the life of a gym member using his lifesaving skills. You can find out more about courses available here.