St John Ambulance Gloucestershire

MEDIA RELEASE
16 January, 2012
Grandparents urged to make learning first aid a resolution in 2012

St John Ambulance is urging Gloucestershires army of grandparents to make a resolution to learn life saving first aid skills in 2012.

With many grandparents providing regular childcare for their grandchildren, knowing first aid should be a necessity for them. According to national charity Grandparents Plus, one in four working families* rely on grandparents for childcare. In families where the mother is working, 43 per cent of children under five are looked after by grandparents, falling just slightly to 42 per cent of children aged five to 10. The charity is holding Essential First Aid training courses at centres across the county this year in Staverton, Stroud, Bourton on the Water, Tewkesbury and Coleford throughout the year to give as many people as possible the opportunity to learn life saving first aid skills.
It lasts three hours and caters for all ages. It covers the main first aid scenarios including choking, severe bleeding, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, dealing with an unconscious casualty and fractures, sprains and strains, head injuries and other situations you may face. It costs just 30.

Research carried out by St John Ambulance in 2010 showed that up to 150,000 people** die every year in situations where first aid could have been the difference. Around 58%*** people wouldn't know what to do if faced with a medical emergency and a quarter would do nothing.
Jim Jones, Schools, Community and Youth Development Co-ordinator for St John Ambulance Gloucestershire, said: Learning first aid is one of the single most important things a grandparent could do.

Childhood injuries are quite common and knowing what to do in an emergency could mean the difference between a life lost and life saved. Knowing first aid means that you would be safeguarding the welfare of your grandchildren. We want as many grandparents as possible to learn first aid so the 30 cost just covers the expense of delivering the course and is set deliberately low so it is affordable to as many people as possible, added Jim.

St John Ambulance Gloucestershire

MEDIA RELEASE
Courses will be held at Staverton on 28 January, 18 February, 24 March, 28 April, 19 May, 30 June, 7 July, 11 August, 29 September, 27 October and 24 November. At Stroud courses will be hosted on 11 February, 21 April, 9 June, 18 August, and 6 October. Other dates include 3 March at Bourton on the Water, 2 June at Coleford and 1 September at Tewkesbury. To book a place one of the courses or for more information contact 01452 858220 or email jim.jones@glos.sja.org.uk.
ENDS To find out more about this story or to interview a spokesperson please contact Chloe Moorhead, County Fundraising and Media Manager on 07854 891151 or

chloe.moorhead@glos.sja.org.uk
References * Grandparents Plus policy briefing paper, February 2011 www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2011/03/Policy-Briefing-01-paper-statistics-Feb-2011.pdf ** Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics, 2008 (for England and Wales), April 2010 *** Research conducted by ICM, February 2010, using a weighted sample of 2045 adults aged 18+. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

Notes to editors
As the nations leading first aid charity, St John Ambulance believes that nobody should die because they needed first aid and didnt get it. Yet every year, up to 150,000* people die in situations where first aid could have given them a chance to live. St John Ambulance teaches people first aid so that they can be the difference. *Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics, 2008 (for England and Wales), April 2010. ** Research conducted by ICM, February 2010, using a weighted sample of 2045 adults aged 18+. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules In 2010 in Gloucestershire 693 SJA volunteers carried out 120,387 hours of first aid, training and other work in the county St John Ambulance in Gloucestershire has training venues at Staverton, Coleford, Stroud, Tewkesbury, and Bourton-on-the-Water. It also runs on-site courses for 10 people or more. For information about St John Ambulance please call 01452 858220 or visit www.sja.org.uk/gloucestershire