St John Ambulance Gloucestershire

MEDIA RELEASE
11th April 2012

St John Ambulance volunteers continue to be the difference in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershires leading first aid charity is continuing to play an important role in the county after its annual figures revealed its volunteers treated 1,800 people during 2011.

Released today, the charity's annual statistics showed that 1,795 people received emergency medical attention from St John Ambulance volunteers at 732 public events in the county, with a further five treated elsewhere. St John Ambulance says its 732 volunteers aged from five upwards spent a total of 132,367 hours on first aid support, training, transport, youth work and social care during the year. Other statistics report that in 2011:

17,764 hours were spent providing medical cover at public events 1,083 people were trained in first aid through community courses 1,317 children received first aid training in schools The county has 107 Community First Responders who attended 1,491 call outs

Jason Lugg, County Executive Officer for St John Ambulance Gloucestershire, said the annual statistics show what an important role the charity plays in the county
Our volunteers recognise the importance of making sure as many people as possible have access to first aid or are trained in first aid.

Not enough people would know what to do in an emergency and 150,000* people die nationally each year in situations where first aid could have been the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Jason said he believed everyone could learn first aid, whatever their age. Knowing first aid is one of the most important things you could ever learn and it is very easy.
St John Ambulance runs community courses for all ages across the county and I would appeal to everyone in the county to at least learn some basic skills you never know when you might need it.

St John Ambulance is always looking for people interested in training as volunteers and there are many roles to be fulfilled from first aiders to fundraisers.
To find out more about joining St John Ambulance or first aid training contact 01452 858220 or go to www.sja.org.uk/gloucestershire.

St John Ambulance Gloucestershire

MEDIA RELEASE
ENDS To find out more about this story or to interview a spokesperson please contact Chloe Moorhead, County Fundraising and Media Manager on 07854 891151 or

chloe.moorhead@glos.sja.org.uk

Notes to editors

As the nations leading first aid charity, St John Ambulance believes that nobody should die because they needed first aid and didnt get it. Yet every year, up to 150,000* people die in situations where first aid could have given them a chance to live. St John Ambulance teaches people first aid so that they can be the difference. *Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics, 2008 (for England and Wales), April 2010 In 2011 in Gloucestershire 732 SJA volunteers carried out 132,367 hours of first aid, training and other work in the county They treated 1,795 patients at 732 public events St John Ambulance in Gloucestershire has training venues at Staverton, Coleford, Stroud, Tewkesbury, and Bourton-on-the-Water. It also runs on-site courses for 10 people or more For information about St John Ambulance please call 01452 858220 or visit www.sja.org.uk/gloucestershire