Andrew visited the St John Ambulance Cheshire headquarters based on the Countess of Chester Health Park.  He joined children from Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School in Ellesmere Port who were taking part in the Injury Minimisation Programme for Schools (IMPS).  This programme involves St John Ambulance Cheshire offering free training in first aid and accident prevention and is aimed at 10 and 11 year olds.

Steve Peaurt, County Executive Officer for SJA Cheshire said, ‘First aid should be as important a part of growing up as learning to tie your shoe laces.  Through our IMPS programme we equip the next generation with invaluable life skills by teaching them first aid so that they can be the difference between a life saved and a life lost.  The programme costs around £50,000 per year to run and our fundraising efforts never stop, we’re constantly looking for new supporters to help us keep this and our other programmes going.’

Steve continued, ‘We also run a Babysafe programme teaching first aid skills to parents, grandparents and carers here in our training centre and in Children’s Centres in Cheshire.  Ideally we would like the funding to be able to expand this programme to centres across Cheshire.’

Andrew Miller said, ‘Every child should be taught first aid at school, so that they could one day be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Watching these children today really brings into focus that first aid saves lives, and I commend St John Ambulance for their work.'

Ends
18th June 2010

Attached Photo: Andrew Miller MP (front row, 2nd from right) together with year 6 children from Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School in Ellesmere Port, Mr Bilko, year 6 teacher (left, back row), Mrs Carrington, Parent-Helper (next to Mr Bilko), back row on the right, Helen Lee IMPS Co-ordinator from St John Ambulance together with Jane Sherratt and Dawn Roberts, IMPS trainers