Wiltshire Air Ambulance helping children learn emergency skills
The charity's got cash from a local housebuilder to run training sessions
Hundreds of schoolchildren across Wiltshire will get vital emergency skills training from the county's Air Ambulance.
The charity's able to run the sessions in primary and secondary schools thanks to a £5,000 donation from local housebuilder Persimmon.
The company funds good causes through its Community Champions scheme, donating up to £750,000 per year.
The interactive emergency schools sessions for Wiltshire children including how to call 999, deliver CPR, manage an unconscious patient and help a person who's choking.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s Deputy Director of Income Generation Rebecca de la Bedoyere said:
“We are very grateful to Persimmon Homes Wessex for supporting our vital work in schools.
“As the air ambulance service for Wiltshire and Bath, we are best known for our lifesaving helicopter emergency medical service, which is there for critically ill and injured people when they need it most.
“Even though we can reach anywhere in Wiltshire in 11 minutes and the centre of Bath in just four minutes, it is usually a member of the public who is first at the scene.
“Our Emergency Awareness Training gives young people the skills, knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency, so that if they are ever at the scene of an incident, they could make a lifesaving difference.
Since 2020, all state-funded schools in England are required to teach first aid as part of the PSHE elements of the National Curriculum.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance's training sessions can be tailored for all ages and meet the needs of community groups, in addition to the school’s programme.
The aim is to educate the community and provide them with the knowledge to confidently manage a medical emergency prior to the arrival of an ambulance.
Cllr Dominic Munns, Wiltshire Council Portfolio Holder for Education, said:
“The Emergency Awareness Training programme is hugely important and has already had a profound impact across Wiltshire, reaching over 25,000 children and providing them with vital knowledge on how to manage in a medical emergency.
“I’m delighted Persimmon Homes has chosen to support this great charity and initiative, which will now see a further 1600 children across Wiltshire equipped with these vital skills.”
Pauline Fletcher, Sales Director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said:
“Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a fantastic organisation which goes above and beyond each and every day to help people across the county.
“Persimmon’s Community Champions initiative is all about supporting the communities where we build, and we are delighted to be able to support the organisation’s superb Emergency Awareness Training programme."
Wiltshire Air Ambulance needs to raise £4 million a year to continue delivering its lifesaving service, but receives no regular direct Government funding or National Lottery grants.