LAL trains hundreds to be Lancashire Lifesavers

Lancashire Adult Learning has trained up hundreds of members of the public to be lifesavers across the Red Rose County.

The Lancashire Lifesavers partnership with the North West Ambulance Service, Lancashire County Council and BBC Radio Lancashire has seen 700 members of the public and 95% of Lancashire Adult Learning’s staff receive essential lifesaving training over the course of the academic year.

This has included how to spot the signs and symptoms and recognising the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, how to administer treatment correctly in a lifesaving situation, and where to access a defibrillator in an emergency and use it effectively.

Approximately 30,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year and currently only one in 10 people survive. What’s more, the chance of survival is reduced by 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation.

The campaign was launched after former county councillor Tony Jones was saved by colleagues with the help of nearby defibrillator after collapsing during a Lancashire County Council meeting at County Hall in Preston in September 2017.

Eighty-four courses have been delivered by LAL and the 700 people trained up are from across Lancashire’s 12 districts. Lancashire Adult Learning is aiming to double the number of people trained in the next academic year.

Andy Parkin, director of curriculum at Lancashire Adult Learning, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that our first year of training up members of the public has been so successful, supporting the Lancashire Lifesavers campaign with the North West Ambulance Service, Lancashire County Council and BBC Radio Lancashire.

“We believe that everyone should have lifesaving skills, and our training is very simple in providing people with the knowledge and the confidence to act swiftly and effectively in an emergency situation where a life is at risk.

“The Lancashire Adult Learning team has really supported the campaign too by completing the training, and I’m pleased we have demonstrated a learning culture within the organisation by taking the lead on this. We will re-boot the campaign again in September to create even more lifesavers in Lancashire.”

County councillor Shaun Turner, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic that we have 700 more Lancashire Lifesavers on the streets of our towns and villages, right across the 12 districts of the county.

“I’d like to thank the Lancashire Adult Learning team for showing such commitment in their support of the campaign and I’m delighted to see that 95% of their team are trained up with these incredibly valuable lifesaving skills too.

“I’m looking forward to the partnership continuing in the future and I absolutely support the campaign aim to double the number of people who receive training in the new academic year beginning in September.

“Whether you have received lifesaving training previously or not, these are vital skills, and I would encourage people to sign up to become a Lancashire Lifesaver or refresh their knowledge with up-to-date guidance.”

As well as its targeted delivery and partnership work, Lancashire Adult Learning offers a huge range of planned provision across the Red Rose County, from arts and crafts to humanities classes, languages to health and wellbeing sessions and functional skills English and maths and employability courses.

LAL’s new course guide for Autumn is now out, and is packed with a wide range of courses to help adults across the county learn a new skill, enhance their social life, or develop their career prospects when the new academic year begins in September.

In February 2018, Lancashire Adult Learning was named as the inaugural winner of the national Adult and Community Learning Provider of the Year at the TES FE Awards.

Further information about Lancashire Adult Learning can be found at www.lal.ac.uk or by calling 0333 003 1717.