Chester school provides boost for life-saving scheme

Jul 15 2010 Chester Chronicle

EACH year, more than 3,500 year six children from Cheshire primary schools receive free training in first aid and accident prevention from locally based charity – the Injury Minimization Programme for Schools (IMPS), which is supported by St John Ambulance.

To say thank you for this training, children from the Firs School held a number of fundraising activities including a school play, a raffle and they ran a tuck shop over four weeks, raising an impressive £450.

Last Thursday Jacob Reed, a year six pupil from the Firs School in Chester, presented Helen Lee, IMPS Co-ordinator with the cheque for £450.

This programme for schools, aimed at 10-11 year olds, continues to be an incredible success and four lives have been saved as a result of the students applying their first aid skills in an emergency situation.

In January 2008 Sam Holmes from Ellesmere Port, used back slaps to help stop his friend from choking. Also in 2008, Jamie Fraser, 11, from Connahs Quay administered first aid to help his friend who was having an epileptic fit.

Phoebe Bain, 11, was awarded a St John Ambulance Young first aider of the Year award after she used her newly learned first aid skills to help her mum when she was involved in a car accident in 2005.

In 2002 Lewis Edwards who attended Woodfield Primary School in Newton saved his baby brother from choking on a coin.

Helen Lee, St John Ambulance IMPS Coordinator in Cheshire said: “First aid should be as important a part of growing up as learning to tie your shoe laces.

“Through our IMPS programme we equip the next generation with invaluable life skills by teaching them first aid so that they can be the difference between a life saved and a life lost.

“The programme costs around £50,000 per year to run and our fundraising efforts never stop, we’re constantly looking for new supporters to help us keep this and our other programmes going. We thank the Firs School for their generous donation.”

Margaret Denton, headteacher at the Firs School, said: “I feel the first aid training received is very beneficial to the children’s education and we feel very lucky to receive this invaluable service for free from St John Ambulance in Cheshire.”

If you would like to help the next generation learn valuable first aid skills in Cheshire, please call 01244 383407 or visit www.sja.org.uk

Alternatively if you would like to forward a donation please send a cheque made payable to St John Ambulance to Helen Lee, I.M.P.S Co-ordinator at St John Ambulance, Cheshire, Valley Drive, Countess of Chester Health Park, Liverpool Road, Chester, CH2 1UA.