Bertie's first aid mission! St John Ambulance Cadets at Southwater today
Over 100 St John Ambulance Cadets and Volunteers have joined their mascot Bertie on a mission to teach first aid to members of the public throughout the West Midlands. Through a variety of regional workshops and public demonstrations, there are opportunities abundant to get involved, meet our mascot Bertie, and learn new, lifesaving skills.
The ‘Bertie on Tour’ social action project has been rolled out by the St John Ambulance West Midlands Regional Youth Forum, with the aim of teaching over 5000 members of the public first aid. Led by West Midlands Regional Cadet of the Year, Isobel Bartram, Cadets and Volunteers have already started the tour with successful demonstrations at Dudley Zoo and Shrewsbury Square.
The public are encouraged to come along and engage with our Cadets and demonstrations today at Telford's Southwater.
In a project pitch, the West Midlands Forum said: “We want to see first aid confidence increase throughout the West Midlands, supporting urban areas and rural areas to learn lifesaving skills.
“Everyone should have the ability to act and the confidence to save a life!”
Our young people are the next generation of confidence first aiders, who strive to make a difference in their communities. The Cadets, aged 10-17, meet weekly to develop new skills, increase their confidence and work towards several awards within St John Ambulances’ youth programme. They can also become Cadet First Aiders, and work alongside our volunteers at high profile regional and national events.
West Midlands Regional Youth Development Officer, Chloe Ann Manley, said: “St John has a really unique way of giving young people the skill sets they need but also the confidence they need embedded into that.”
If you would like to find out more about St John Ambulance Cadets, and how you can get involved, please visit: sja.org.uk/get-involved/young-people/cadets-ages-10-17/
By Joshua Gill - Contributor
