First aid winners needed

national schools first aid winners 09

St John Ambulance is looking for young first aid heroes and the best school first aid team, as the charity launches two exciting competitions for young people.

The National Schools’ First Aid Competition

This annual competition encourages school teams to battle it out for the title by carrying out first aid in a variety of real-life settings. It assesses how they react under pressure, their knowledge, treatment and teamwork.

Teams of four plus a reserve can enter junior and senior categories and take part in regional heats from April. If successful they have the opportunity to win £1000 for their school at the national final, which takes place at the Natural History Museum in London on 25 June. Teams must have completed levels from the St John Ambulance Young first aider course and entered by 31 March.

Elaine Howlings, responsible for schools training at St John Ambulance, said: ‘First aid saves lives and it’s vital for everyone to learn, whatever your age. At a time when we all hear negative stories about young people, we believe they should be rewarded for their achievements and we urge people to visit our website and enter our competitions.’

Jazzmin Arundell,13 from London, in last year’s senior winning team of the Schools’ Competition said: ‘We were just so happy to win. We really enjoyed the day and the training. We didn’t all know each other before and we’ve all become really good friends because of the competition.’

The Young First Aider of the Year

The second competition rewards young people who have used vital first aid skills to save a life or help an injured person in a real emergency. Last year’s winners included a 16-year-old who helped at the scene of a car accident and a 10-year-old who gave first aid to his mother who had collapsed unconscious.

The awards prove you are never too young to learn first aid and are open to everyone under 18. Deserving winners will be invited to a special ceremony taking place at the historic headquarters of St John Ambulance in Clerkenwell, London on 30 May. Closing date for nominations is 20 February.