FLBC organised its first ever First Aid in the Community evening on Thursday 25 November, kindly sponsored by Camilla George, Steering Group member and dentist in Lechlade. The evening started with a brief introduction from Lechlade Memorial Hall who were hosting the evening – the “new” hall opened as long ago as 2018, how time flies. The Memorial Hall is owned by the Lechlade Village Hall and Recreation CTO, a registered charity, and managed by trustees on behalf of the community. There is also a sports pavilion and skatepark – I spent many an hour in years gone by, waiting in the car park while my son (and daughter on occasions) had fun there with their friends. The Hall hosts blood donation sessions (I’ve donated there) and is suitable for many events – see the website www.book-online.co.uk/lechlade.
We then got down to the real business of the evening, with Clive Haddrell of First Response Resuscitation and First Aid Training Ltd www.firstresponse.org.uk
This was a mini training session but covered all the basics: how to do chest compressions in a Covid world, use of a defibrillator – many people are unsure how to access or use one, despite these becoming more common in the community nowadays. If you see someone possibly having a cardiac arrest and there are a few people around, one or two can do the chest compressions – it is tiring work – and ask someone else to ring 999 and get the defibrillator. We all had an opportunity to have a go on the resuscitation dummies and we were shown how to use a defibrillator. We were also advised about children choking, some information on possible drowning – appropriate in Lechlade-on-Thames – and use of epipens. Again, if someone needs an epipen because they are having a severe allergic reaction it is no good hoping someone else will turn up and sort it out – it could be you that saves that person’s life.
All in all it was a very instructive evening, and with tea, coffee, mince pies and biscuits, as well as an opportunity to meet other small business owners face-to-face – such opportunities seem few and far between sometimes – a very good evening. Thank you to all involved in the organisation of the evening.
Miriam Weisinger
FLBC Steering Group Member
