Derbyshire schoolchildren taught crucial life lessons during first aid workshop

Pupils at Inkersall Primary Academy were taught a range of skills from what happens to their bodies if they are hurt and how they would be treated, to understanding the basic first aid knowledge needed for a first aid emergency, during the workshop earlier this month.

The school was chosen to benefit from the training thanks to nominations from the community.

It was provided courtesy of Mini First Aid, as part of Savlon’s First Aid for Life campaign, an initiative which provides children in early years with award-winning first aid workshops and training.

Inkersall Primary teacher, Lindsay Mercer, said “We were delighted to have been offered this opportunity to learn a fantastic life skill. The children were so engaged and talked about the skills we learnt for days after, sharing all the information with others in school.

"The children were so pleased to receive their Mini First Aid certificates and they have been left with a great sense of independence and reassurance of dealing with a First Aid emergency”.

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Mum-of-six Kate Ball founded Mini First Aid in 2014 in response to a lack of child-friendly first aid courses available to parents and children.

Its content has been crafted in partnership with educational psychologists, teachers and first aid industry bodies, and all its trainers are experienced in working with children as young as three.

At the end of the workshops, children are awarded a certificate and booklet to take home.

Maria Matthews, who runs the Mini First Aid classes in Chesterfield and Nottingham, said: “It was great spending time with the children and teachers at Inkersall Primary Academy.

"As first aid is such a vital life lesson, it’s always such a rewarding experience being able to share your knowledge with children of a young age, providing them with skills that they not only use throughout their childhood, but later in life too.”

Maria, from Long Eaton, became a Mini First Aid franchisee in 2020 and also offers baby and child first aid classes which are available to the public.

She said: “I’ve always been based in health related and accident prevention type stuff. I got made redundant when I was pregnant, a week before I gave birth, and I was in this horrible limbo where I couldn’t get another job as I was on maternity leave but I didn't know what I wanted to do.

"I went to a Mini First Aid class and I just thought it was brilliant and that I’d love to do it for parents.

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"So, I got in touch with Kate and Matt Ball and they were so completely lovely, family focused, and flexible and I could feel they were doing things for the right reasons.

"I bought the Nottingham and Chesterfield franchise area a week before the first Covid lockdown and the thirst for the parent classes in Nottingham especially, but in Chesterfield as well, has been massive.

"We do a two-hour baby and child first aid class for parents-to-be and new parents. There’s also the classes in schools for children and also the children classes publically where parents can book on.”

To book onto a class visit www.nottingham.minifirstaid.co.uk or email [email protected]

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