Rivals Unite for 24-Hour CPR Challenge

Reading and Wycombe Wanderers will go head to head later this month in League One. Before that, they’ll stand side by side in a very different contest – a 24-hour battle to help save lives.

Both clubs are backing South Central Ambulance Service’s charity CPR-A-THON, a round-the-clock challenge that will take over their stadiums in the days leading up to their clash at Adams Park.

The idea is brutally simple. Teams of up to 10 people line up around a CPR manikin. One person steps forward, delivers 30 chest compressions, then hands over. Then another. And another. No let-up. The cycle continues, relay-style, for a full 24 hours.

The clock starts at 10:00 on 24 September and stops at 10:00 on 25 September. Just over 24 hours later, at 15:00 on 26 September, the Royals and the Chairboys meet again – this time with points on the line at Adams Park.

A challenge built on pressure and purpose

The charity wants the CPR-A-THON to be about far more than endurance.

Sarah Callaghan, volunteer manager for the South Central Ambulance Service charity, set out the vision. The event, she said, is designed to “bring communities together” and give ordinary people the confidence to step in when someone collapses with a cardiac arrest.

“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.”

The financial target is clear. Each participant is asked to raise at least £150. For a full team of 10, that means a £1,500 fundraising goal – money that will go back into lifesaving work across the region.

Club colours aside, one shared cause

On matchdays, the rivalry is real. This time, the message is bigger than the badge.

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 fans.

“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.

So before the tackles fly and the noise rises on 26 September, both clubs want something else ringing around their grounds: the steady rhythm of chest compressions, and the knowledge that for 24 hours, football can help teach a skill that might one day decide whether someone lives or dies.