Thousands of youngsters to learn life-saving skills

As many as 4,000 children a year in one London borough are set to be taught skills that could help to save lives.

The Rotary Club of Croydon East has unveiled plans to help youngsters in the area learn first aid skills which they could use in an emergency. The scheme, which is being run in conjunction with the London Ambulance Service, will see health professionals go into schools and train teachers, who in turn will be able to pass their new knowledge on to pupils.

According to a report by the Croydon Guardian, the aim is to involve 40 schools in the project and potentially teach 4,000 children a year between the ages of 15 and 16 how to administer basic first aid.

Ian Burgess, a member of The Rotary Club and a community first responder who is trained to attend emergency calls, told the newspaper: "With something like this it is a numbers game. Every minute that passes makes a difference. If we can put thousands more people out on the streets who have the skills to do CPR it can only lead to more lives being saved."

At the end of last year the British Red Cross released a smartphone application designed to offer simple first aid advice and empower people to act in an emergency situation. A first aid app designed by UK charity St John Ambulance is also available through app stores.