A MUM who joined the St John Ambulance because she wanted to have the skills to be able to help her own family, has been passing on life-saving skills to shoppers at Crompton Place Shopping Centre.
First aider Elizabeth Stout spent a morning demonstrating resuscitation techniques and other emergency procedures at the bustling shopping centre in Bolton, as part of the charity’s Save A Life September campaign.
The campaign, being promoted on social media with the hashtag #savealifeseptember, is being fronted by comedian Rufus Hound and is now in its fifth year.
It is being run to teach thousands of people essential skills for free through demonstrations at major venues such as shopping centres, train stations, stadiums, and town centres.
Elizabeth, a St John Ambulance Community Trainer from Birkenhead who has 34 years experience under her belt, was at Crompton Place to pass on vital first aid knowledge yesterday.
Elizabeth, said: “I’ve been showing people what to do if someone falls unconscious, how to put them in a recovery position and how to perform CPR.
“I’ve also been promoting the St John Ambulance app which is an invaluable tool for people to keep on their mobile phones for use in an emergency.
“The app is a quick reference guide showing people emergency first aid techniques. It gives them the confidence to act quickly and effectively in the event of a crisis.
“I’ve had it on my phone for five years now and even though I am an experienced first aider I still find it is a useful reference guide.”
Elizabeth first joined St John Ambulance when she went to live in Cornwall more than 30 years ago.
She said: “At the time my son was unwell and I found that because of that people expected that I would know basic first aid skills, which I didn’t.
“So I thought I better learn fast and the best way to do that was by joining the experts at the local St John Ambulance. I have been a volunteer ever since.”
She said feedback from shoppers at Crompton Place was very positive and she encountered a number of people asking for details of how they could join a St John Ambulance first aid course.
Among those interested was student Lewis Massey, 21, of Sharples, Bolton, who was shown how to do CPR chest compressions.
Lewis, who is studying on a performing arts degree course at Wigan and Leigh College, said: “I definitely recommend people learn first aid skills.
You never know when an emergency may strike and having that extra amount of knowledge could save you from panicking and ultimately save a person’s life.
“Having spoken to Elizabeth, this is something I will definitely consider following up in the future and I will advise my college friends to do the same.”
St John Ambulance Learn a Lesson for Life pocket guides are also available to the public pressing home the first aid message.
The little booklets include information about what to do if someone is choking, severely bleeding, collapses or appears to be having a heart attack.
The 2015 Save a Life September campaign also includes a video posted on the St John Ambulance website in which comic actor Rufus Hound is seen as a teacher having to cope with an array of classroom disasters. The video is delivered in an amusing way but drives home a very serious message.
Crompton Place shopping centre manager Paula Wood said: “This was a really important demonstration day, and one that was a privilege for us to host.
“The St John Ambulance team are a credit to their local community, volunteering their time to help others and pass on crucial life-saving skills.
“It’s a pleasure to be able to support them and their work in any way we can.”
Anyone interested in joining a course can contact the St John Ambulance regional headquarters on 0161 4430100 or visit the website
For more information about Crompton Place click here or visit the centre’s Facebook page or Twitter account @CromptonPlace.
