Reading and Wycombe Join Forces for 24-Hour CPR Challenge

Rivals on the pitch, Reading and Wycombe Wanderers will stand shoulder to shoulder off it this month as they back a gruelling 24-hour CPR challenge aimed at saving lives across their communities.

Both clubs are throwing their support behind South Central Ambulance Service’s charity “CPR-A-THON”, a nonstop relay of chest compressions to be staged at their stadiums in the days leading up to their League One meeting.

The concept is brutally simple. 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 without a break for a full 24 hours. No whistles. No half-time. Just constant, life-saving practice.

The clock starts at 10:00 on 24 September and will not stop until 10:00 the following morning. Two days later, at 15:00 on 26 September, the Royals and the Chairboys will walk out at Adams Park for league points – but the real work will already have been done on the training of ordinary fans and local workers.

Each participant is being asked to raise at least £150, setting a target of £1,500 for a full 10-person team. The money will support the ambulance service’s charity work, but organisers are clear: this is about far more than donations.

Sarah Callaghan, volunteer manager for the charity, wants the event to be a catalyst.

She described the CPR-A-THON as something designed to “bring communities together”, stressing that the challenge is about giving people the confidence to step in when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. Every compression, she said, matters – and every volunteer will leave having practised a skill that could one day save the life of a colleague, a friend or a loved one.

From Reading’s side, managing director Neil Peters underlined how quickly football rivalries fall away when the stakes are this high.

“There may be plenty of rivalry on the pitch,” he said, “but when it comes to saving lives, Reading and Wycombe are firmly on the same team.”

Wycombe are pushing just as hard. Head of media Matt Cecil issued a clear call to arms for local firms and supporters.

He urged businesses and Chairboys fans to form teams, head to Adams Park and take on a challenge that not only raises money for a vital local cause but also arms people with skills that could be the difference between life and death.

Bragging rights will be decided on 26 September. The question now is how many fans and businesses will step forward first to take on 24 hours of pressure, rhythm and resolve for something far bigger than football.