Eastbourne Buses are getting on-board a campaign to raise awareness of heart attacks amongst the public.

The Heart Improvement Team, who are part of the Sussex Heart Network, together with Sussex Ambulance aim to educate members of the public on the signs and symptoms of a heart attack - something that affects thousands of people across Sussex.

And now the 55-strong fleet of Eastbourne Buses are carrying posters which warn people of the symptoms of heart attack. Jeremy Dixon, Project Manager from Eastbourne Buses, said, "We are thrilled to be able to help the campaign and we can only hope that the posters help to save lives. We have 55 buses and around 90,000 passengers each week so hopefully the posters will make a real impact."

Martin Somers, Sussex Ambulance paramedic, said, "Every minute is vital. As ambulance staff we do everything we can to ensure people receive the correct treatment as soon as possible, but we need members of the public to be more aware of their symptoms."

The campaign aims to increase awareness of the urgency of calling 999 with chest pain by dispersing thousands of information leaflets and posters across the county.

A delay of one hour makes a big difference to the benefit from thrombolysis (the clot busting drug). Every minute saved saves 11 days of a heart attack patient's life - and for a half-an-hour delay it is estimated a patient loses one year of their life.

Approximately 45 per cent of patients die within 30 days of having a heart attack and one third of deaths occur before reaching the hospital - so timing makes all the difference.

Lisa Phillimore, Eastbourne Cardiac Improvement Manager, said, "A lot of the time, patients who experience chest pain or discomfort think it's indigestion or that it will go away and they don't want to bother anyone. "We want the public to know that it's ok to call 999 for help. The ambulance crews are the experts and they are there to help. If someone is having or thinks they might be having a heart attack, the sooner they call 999 for help, the better their chances of recovery."

The Child Saver 7 will no longer be available for purchase after the close of service on Saturday 16th July 2005.

Any tickets brought on or prior to this date will still be valid for travel until their expiry date.

This ticket was originally intended as a travel to school ticket but due to unforeseen problems it is now being withdrawn.

The adult Saver 7 will continue to be issued and accepted and a new replacement ticket will be available for the Autumn School term.