An event run by St John Ambulance will take place in Anlaby on World First Aid Day (10 September) for its Centenary of Youth celebrations.
The event will take place in the Men in Sheds building, First Lane, Anlaby HU10 6UE, from 12-5pm, and will offer fun activities for children and adults alike, from face painting, a bouncy castle and CPR demonstrations, to an historical display of how first aiders helped in 1940, refreshments and an award-winning cake.
St John Ambulance Cadets was formed in 1922 and the event will celebrate 100 years of fantastic volunteer work done by young people, as well as promote the youth programmes available to the public. St John Ambulance says 1 in 4 people have saved a life - from family to friends - but just 14% of people in Yorkshire and the Humber are ‘very confident’ in first aid skills.
New research by health and first aid charity St John Ambulance reveals few feel confident using first aid skills and is urging – on World First Aid Day - for more people to learn and renew simple life-saving skills.
The survey found 1 in 4 people, (25% - but only 13% in Yorkshire and the Humber) have saved a life, and, of those in the region 75% have saved a family member, 75% a friend, 63% a work colleague, and 69% a stranger.
St John Ambulance conducted the survey of 1,000 young people aged 10-17 and 1,000 adults in the UK to coincide with its Ask Me campaign to highlight its work helping members of the public gain the skills that help them save lives where they live and work. But just 13% of those surveyed, who live in Yorkshire and the Humber, said they felt ‘very confident’ in first aid. This compared to 29% overall of those surveyed – a figure St John Ambulance wants to see improve.
St John is encouraging more people, and ‘tomorrow’s life-savers', to join one of its youth programmes to gain first aid skills for life, as well as confidence and leadership skills. The survey also asked what first aid skills people wanted to learn – with heart attacks and choking being the two health threats people wanted to know how to treat, and 20% keen to know how to respond and treat a knife wound.
Daryl Perkins MBE, District Manager (North East Region) at St John Ambulance, said: “This event will highlight the importance of first aid as well as demonstrate the fantastic work our young people do to help people around them. “There will be lots of fun activities on the day for families to enjoy, but most of all, on World First Aid Day it’s an educational day out where you can watch CPR simulations to find out how to save a life. We are always on the look out for volunteers, and this doesn’t have to be in a clinical role if anyone is squeamish! As well as the first aider and volunteer vaccinator roles, we have opportunities in fundraising, logistics, administration and much more, all of which can be found on our website. We also have youth units across the Humber and East Riding district and are looking for youth helpers/leaders to support these young people in their activities. I’d urge anyone who is looking to volunteer to choose St John Ambulance and join an organisation that really does change people’s lives.”
For more information and to apply for volunteer roles, visit www.sja.org.uk.
