Sam Hilton © Chris Bull/UNP
Did you know that you don’t need specialist equipment in order to help someone who is injured or hurt? No, really.
When doing first aid, there are lots of day-to-day items you can use to help someone instead.
Read three real-life first aid stories where ordinary items saved the day and you’ll soon be able to spot items around you should you ever need to help.
Mark Belton, Red Cross volunteer © British Red Cross
“I think back on how I felt six or seven years ago and so much has changed,” Mark Belton said.
Mark first noticed that his sight was getting worse in his teens. His mum, nan and sister all had an inherited eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
“By the age of 18 or 19 I knew I had it too.
“My eyesight was deteriorating,” Mark said.
“It was a real blow, it was half expected but it sort of knocks you back. I had just got my new job then as an upholsterer.”
Leanne and her daughter Maia, © Dave Fleming/UNP
Two thirds of parents surveyed said they did not know what a febrile seizure was, or how to recognise or treat one.*
Luckily for 18-month-old Maia from Swindon, her mum Leanne Barnett did know what to do.
Back when Maia was six months old, Leanne decided to take a baby and child first aid course with the British Red Cross.
It was a good decision. When Maia suffered a febrile seizure, Leanne was able to give her daughter exactly the help she needed.
As a co-host on Channel 4’s The Last Leg, Alex Brooker has no fear of live TV. But he felt less confident about being able to help his six-month-old daughter in a first aid emergency.
“Our baby’s weaning now and I’m a massive worrier. Every little thing I worry about,” he said.
To ease those concerns, Alex took part in a British Red Cross group first aid course so that he could learn with his friends and family – and he’s really pleased he did.
To mark World First Aid Day, come and learn first aid with Alex.
New research from the British Red Cross has revealed that three out of four parents in the UK would not be able to save their baby from choking.*
But helping a baby or child who is choking is much simpler than you might think. In fact, you can learn how in just a few minutes.
To mark World First Aid Day on 9 September, we’re calling on anyone who looks after little ones to learn this life-saving skill, and encourage others to by wrapping your social media profile picture with our “I can save a life” pledge.
Keep reading and you’ll be ready to save a life in no time.
From toddlers to grandparents, lots of us love to jump in the water for a spot of swimming. And at some point in our lives, we may have learnt something about how to help someone who’s drowning. But do you remember it?
While there are lots of beautiful, open water swimming locations where you can go for a dip safely, drowning still accounts for more accidental deaths in the UK than road cycling accidents.
So what’s going on? Here are five things you should know about drowning.
Acid attacks used to be incredibly infrequent in the UK, but there are concerns the numbers appear to be rising.
Here’s how to help someone who has a chemical or acid burn.
Father’s Day is a time for showing your dad some appreciation. But this year, things are quite reversed for Zoe Tootle’s family. After she helped her dad through a heart attack, all the appreciation is going to her.
Zoe recalls how it all happened.
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