St John Ambulance Cymru and Business in Focus working together in communities across Wales

Business in Focus and St John Ambulance Cymru are working together to run basic first aid awareness sessions for out-of-work families across Wales, demonstrating a continued commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of communities in Wales.

Business in Focus’ Focus Futures project, has been running throughout Wales over the past year, aiming to improve out-of-work individuals’ general employability skills and self-confidence. The scheme offers lessons on a range of subjects including CV building, goal setting, income maximisation and interview skills.

The Focus Futures  project aims to teach important life skills and build individuals’ self-confidence, holding webinars as well as face-to-face sessions to assist people on their employment journey.

Nicola Masters, Community Engagement Coordinator at Business in Focus explained their collaboration with St John Ambulance Cymru: “First aid skills are invaluable, lifechanging skills that, in an emergency situation, mean the difference between life and death”.

 “It’s all about giving people confidence”

St John Ambulance Cymru trainers are running a total of six sessions across Wales as part of the project. One session which took place in Caerphilly on Halloween weekend, was run by St John Ambulance Cymru Community Trainer, Dionne Ford.

Dionne describes how they made the session fun and engaging, with games for the children. The feedback was great and the families thoroughly enjoyed learning about first aid and CPR. One lady, Jess, found the session quite moving.

Dionne explained;

“On arrival, Jess explained she had lost her husband four years ago, she seemed very emotional. However, her friends and her three children had been her support system all through her grieving. She explained she wanted to do first aid awareness in order to move on from her grief and to keep her family and children safe in the future.”

“She thanked us as the family had learnt some valuable life skills. She really wanted her daughter to join Badgers and her other children to attend Youth Cadets at the Risca division.”

Dionne said that she aims for her sessions to be “a fun and memorable activity for all the family” as well as aiming to empower people with the knowledge to keep loved ones safe.

By the end of the session, Dionne described the group as “CPR superstars!“

Nicola and Dionne are in the process of arranging a follow up defibrillator training session for the group, to further their first aid skills.

Nicola wanted to thank the charity for all of their help with the Focus Futures project, she explained; “We are proud to support St John Ambulance Cymru.”

“We feel passionate about getting invaluable life skills, like first aid, out into the communities of Wales – We are proud to support St John Ambulance Cymru and would like to thank the charity for all of their help with the Focus Futures project“.

To find out more about St John Ambulance Cymru’s first aid training, visit  www.sjacymru.org.uk/en/page/training.