Reading and Wycombe Join Forces for 24-Hour CPR Challenge

Reading and Wycombe Wanderers will put their rivalry to one side this month to back a 24-hour CPR challenge aimed at saving lives across their communities.

Both clubs are throwing their weight behind South Central Ambulance Service’s charity “CPR-A-THON”, which will take over their stadiums in the days leading up to their League One clash at Adams Park.

The concept is brutal in its simplicity. Teams of up to 10 people will rotate on a CPR manikin, each participant delivering 30 chest compressions before handing over to the next teammate. No gaps, no breaks in the chain. The cycle continues, relentlessly, for 24 hours.

The challenge begins at 10:00 on 24 September and runs through the night until 10:00 on 25 September. Just over a day later, at 15:00 on 26 September, the Royals and the Chairboys will meet on the pitch at Adams Park – but by then, many of their supporters will already have gone the distance in a very different test of endurance.

Each participant is being asked to raise at least £150, setting a target of £1,500 for a full team of 10. The money goes to the South Central Ambulance Service charity, but the organisers are just as focused on what people take away as what they give.

Sarah Callaghan, the charity’s volunteer manager, wants the event to be a rallying point, not just a fundraiser. She describes the CPR-A-THON as something designed to “bring communities together” and to arm ordinary people with the confidence to step in when a cardiac arrest strikes.

“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.”

Inside the clubs, the message is the same: forget the colours for a moment, this is bigger than football.

Neil Peters, managing director at Reading FC, underlined that 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.

Wycombe are pushing hard too. Head of media Matt Cecil issued a direct call to action for local firms and supporters.

“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.

The stakes in League One will be high when the two sides finally kick off on 26 September. For 24 hours before that, though, the real contest will be against the clock, fatigue and fear – and the prize could be a life saved long after the final whistle.