CPR Bra

Help us save more women's lives

We launched the CPR Bra campaign in October 2024 which aimed to save lives by ‘busting the taboo’ around chest compressions on women and people with breasts.

Our research showed one in three people are afraid to give CPR to a woman in public because they are worried about touching breasts.

This has got to change

Designed to close the gender CPR Gap, we created the world’s first educational bra - the CPR Bra* - to reassure people that taking fast action is the right thing to do to save a life, regardless of gender. It features the message ‘It’s OK to Save My Life’ on the front, along with scissor icons to illustrate where clothing should be cut to apply defibrillator pads.

In a cardiac arrest emergency, every second counts which is why the bra also included a reminder of the steps needed to respond to a cardiac arrest, ‘Check, Call, Compress’: Check for breathing, Call 999 and give chest Compressions. Together, we reassured people that it’s ok to touch part of someone’s chest to give CPR when in cardiac arrest – or even cut their bra or binding off to use a defibrillator because you are trying to save their life because you are trying to save their life.

An illustration showing the correct hand placement for chest compressions. The first aider's fingers are interlocked and the heel of their hand is placed in the middle of the patient's chest. The patient is wearing a St John Ambulance CPR Bra, with the words 'It's okay to save my life' printed on it.

We believe every ‘body’ who has a cardiac arrest should be given the best chance of survival regardless of gender.
Jordan DavisonCommunity Education Partner

Campaign highlights

The campaign was picked up by national media across the UK , including The Guardian, The Independent, and BBC Breakfast. It went viral across social media, with a reach of 3.2 million in just three days. Over 200 billboards across England shared this important message for one day only, and brought the campaign to even more people. Over the course of three months, while the campaign was live, more than 12.5k people visited our online advice about how to give CPR to women.

What next?

There's still plenty of work to be done to ‘bust the taboo’ and close the CPR gender gap for good. Since the campaign launch in 2024, we've partnered with Boobydoo, the world’s leading authority on sports bras to produce the CPR Bra which is due to be available to the public in Spring 2026.

But it isn't just us who have been working hard to raise awareness since the campaign...

Margate stunt

Margate Women's Institute members took to the beach in their bras to raise awareness of the CPR gap as a feminist issue on Restart a Heart Day. The stunt was part of The WI's 'Bystanders Can Be Lifesavers' campaign which launched in July 2025 and was inspired in part by the CPR Bra. The campaign was run in partnership with St John Ambulance where our volunteers gave thousands of WI members the confidence to take action in a cardiac arrest through first aid awareness sessions.

A photograph of women on a beach in Margate. The women are dressed and wearing their bras over their clothing. Two women in the centre of the image are performing a first aid demonstration on a female Manikin.

First aid for run clubs

Scrambled Legs Run Club reached out to us after one of their runners received life-saving CPR at the end of a run, looking to get all of their members first aid confident. So far, we've hosted two special first aid awareness session for run club founders and leaders. Find out more about first aid for runners.

A photograph of a woman in a red tracksuit practising first aid on a female Manikin, which is dressed in the CPR Bra.

Help us bust the taboo

Learn how to do CPR and use a defibrillator on women and other people with breasts with our free online first aid advice.

Read our first aid advice