Schools in Medway have jumped on board a charity campaign to raise cash for vital lifesaving equipment.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) held a skipping workshop in Rainham this week, with a chance for teachers to sign up to hold a Jump Off fund-raising event for the Medway Echo Appeal.

The BHF needs to collect £30,000 for a new echo machine for Medway Maritime Hospital.

The equipment works like an ultrasound. It will give accurate pictures of inside the heart, which will help to detect heart conditions earlier and save lives.

The skipping workshop, at Rainham School for Girls, was organised to show teachers the heart-healthy benefits of skipping and give them the skills to run skipping lessons at their schools.

Teachers from six Medway schools took part - Miers Court Primary, Rainham; Greenacre School, Chatham; Rochester Grammar, Fort Pitt Grammar, Chatham; St Mary’s Island Primary and

Skinner Street Primary, Gillingham.

After the skipping session, teachers were told how they could collect funds for their school and raise cash for the Echo Appeal by holding a sponsored skipping challenge.

Two schools, St Mary’s Island Primary and Skinner Street Primary, signed up and received a resource kit worth more than £100, with everything they need to hold a successful event.

Joanne Howe, BHF volunteer fund-raising manager, said: “It was great that all the teachers turned up after their busy days at school.

“Everyone seemed to have great fun and was really enthusiastic about the benefits of organising a Jump Off event.

“We had two schools sign up on the night and all the others said they would like to hold an event in the future. I hope to see lots of sponsored skipping challenges taking place across Medway in 2009.”

“If teachers or parents would like to organise a Jump Off, it’s not too late to find out how. They don’t have to have taken part in a workshop to organise an event.”

n If you are a teacher or parent and would like to find out how to hold your own sponsored skip in aid of the Medway Echo Appeal, call Joanne Howe on 01474 537997 or email howej@bhf.org.uk