Reading and Wycombe Unite for 24-Hour CPR Challenge
The colours will clash at Adams Park on 26 September. Before that, Reading and Wycombe Wanderers are uniting for something far more important than three points.
Both clubs are backing South Central Ambulance Service’s charity CPR-A-THON – a gruelling 24-hour challenge that will run at their respective grounds in the days leading up to their League One meeting.
This is not a fitness test. It’s a lifesaving drill.
Football clubs, fans and businesses on the clock
From 10:00 on 24 September until 10:00 on 25 September, teams of up to 10 people will take turns delivering 30 chest compressions on a CPR manikin before handing over to the next person, keeping the cycle going non-stop for a full day.
The target is simple: no break in compressions. Not for a second.
The Royals and the Chairboys will then switch back into match mode, facing each other at Adams Park at 15:00 on 26 September. For 24 hours before that, though, they will be on exactly the same side.
Each participant is being asked to raise at least £150, with a team of 10 aiming for a £1,500 total to support the ambulance service charity.
“Every compression counts”
Sarah Callaghan, volunteer manager for the charity, made clear this is about far more than a fundraising total.
She called it a challenge designed to “bring communities together” and stressed the purpose behind the effort: giving people the confidence to act when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.
“This isn't just a fundraising challenge. It's about giving people the confidence to act when someone suffers a cardiac arrest,” she said. “Every compression counts, and by taking part people will learn and practice a skill that could one day save the life of a colleague, friend or loved one.”
The message is blunt: learn CPR now, because you may not get a second chance when it matters.
Rivals on the pitch, one team off it
Reading FC managing director Neil Peters underlined how easily football divides can be put aside when lives are at stake.
“There may be plenty of rivalry on the pitch, but when it comes to saving lives, Reading and Wycombe are firmly on the same team,” he said.
Wycombe’s head of media, Matt Cecil, issued a direct call to action to the local community, urging both businesses and supporters to step up.
“We're calling on businesses and Chairboys supporters to get involved, put a team together and come to Adams Park to take on a challenge that will not only raise money for an important local charity, but will also give people skills that could save a life,” he said.
For once, the most important pressure at Adams Park won’t be in the penalty area. It will be under the hands of fans, staff and businesses, counting out compressions that might one day decide whether someone lives or dies.
