YOUNG people reached their goal of raising £1,000 for a Bolton Wanderers’ campaign to get life-saving defibrillator into the community.

Bolton School boys’ division held a non-uniform day to raise the money to buy the piece of equipment for the Hearts and Goals programme, which is run by Bolton Wanderers’ Community Trust (BWCT), the North West Ambulance Service and the football club.

The initiative plans to increase the numbers of accessible defibrillators and emergency life-saving skills training across the region.

The campaign was launched in October, 2012, after Wanderers’ star, Fabrice Muamba, suffered a cardiac arrest.

Wanderers’ Hearts and Goals has helped to put 50 defibrillators throughout the North West.

As Bolton School has several of the devices on campus, the boys donated the money to BWCT so it could buy one to put at a location of their choice.

Mike Macias, health education coordinator at BWCT, said: “We are extremely grateful to Bolton School for the generosity of its staff and students for raising such a fantastic sum.

“This donation will be used to purchase a defibrillator, which will be placed in a yet to be determined area of Bolton.

“The purpose of the Wanderers Hearts and Goals campaign is to reduce deaths caused by sudden cardiac arrest; the more public access defibrillators there are, the greater the chances a casualty has of surviving, just like in the incident involving Fabrice Muamba.

“We encourage others to be as proactive as Bolton School in doing their bit in helping our community become the most ‘heart-safe’ place in the country.”

Last year, The Bolton News launched the Every School Leaver a Lifesaver campaign, by joining forces with Bolton West MP Julie Hilling to promote the teaching of emergency lifesaving skills.

Ms Hilling was inspired to start her campaign after the former Bolton player collapsed on the pitch during an FA Cup match at Spurs and was resuscitated by medical staff after his heart stopped beating.