Reading and Wycombe Join Forces for 24-Hour CPR Challenge

The rivalry can wait. For 24 hours, Reading and Wycombe Wanderers will be on the same side, backing a relentless CPR challenge designed to save lives.

Days before they meet in League One at Adams Park, the Royals and the Chairboys are throwing their weight behind South Central Ambulance Service’s charity CPR-A-THON – a round-the-clock test of stamina, teamwork and nerve.

A 24-hour relay to save lives

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 non-stop for 24 hours. No breaks in the chain. No pause in the pressure.

The challenge begins at 10:00 on 24 September and runs through the night, finishing at 10:00 on 25 September. Just a day later, at 15:00 on 26 September, Reading and Wycombe will face off at Adams Park in the league – but the real groundwork will already have been done on the same turf.

Each participant is asked to raise at least £150, setting a target of £1,500 for a full team of 10.

Football clubs backing a different kind of pressure

For South Central Ambulance Service’s charity, this is about far more than a novel fundraiser.

Volunteer manager Sarah Callaghan wants the event to pull people together and leave them with something lasting.

She called it a challenge that should “bring communities together”, stressing that it is not just about money but about confidence in the most critical of moments. “This isn't just a fundraising challenge. It's about giving people the confidence to act when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. 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.”

Clubs talk a lot about community. This one puts it to the test, minute by minute, compression by compression.

Rivals on the pitch, allies off it

Reading FC managing director Neil Peters underlined that sense of unity.

“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, as both clubs urged supporters and local firms to step forward.

Wycombe’s head of media Matt Cecil echoed the call, urging businesses and Chairboys fans to form teams and head to Adams Park. He highlighted that the challenge will both raise money for a vital local charity and equip people with skills that could save a life.

By the time the first whistle blows on 26 September, hundreds of fans and local workers could already have played their part. The question now is simple: who’s willing to step up to the manikin before they step up to the turnstiles?