First aid course could prove to be a real life saver

Children were among a group of volunteers who learned a series of vital skills in a family first aid course this week.
Trainer Barry Sutcliffe puts volunteers through their paces at the Millie's Trust first aid training courseTrainer Barry Sutcliffe puts volunteers through their paces at the Millie's Trust first aid training course
Trainer Barry Sutcliffe puts volunteers through their paces at the Millie's Trust first aid training course

Held at Burnley Fire Station and run by the charity Millie’s Trust, the course was taught by Barry Sutcliffe who has 30 years experience as a first aider and firefighter.

He said: “Since Millie’s Trust started the first aid courses around 12,000 people have been trained.

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“These are simple skills that everyone should know because you never know when you may need them and it could help to save someone’s life.”

Millie’s Trust was founded in 2012 by Joanne and Dan Thompson in memory of their daughter Millie who died when she was just nine-months-old after choking on food at nursery.

After the tragedy the couple focused their energy on setting up the charity that is devoted to raising awareness of how important first aid is and also running training courses.

Joanne, who is from Burnley, and Dan, along with a team of fully trained volunteers, now plan and host child and baby first aid courses for anyone, including parents and grandparents aswell as nursery workers.

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Parents with newborns were among those learning first aid at the course on Tuesday.

Barry said: "No-one can imagine how awful it must have been for Dan and Joanne to lose Millie like that.

"It is not a tragedy you ever get over but the charity has done so much good work in helping to prevent more deaths and also raising awareness of first aid and how important it is.

"It means that Millie's death was not in vain."

Two years ago the couple, who live in Wilmslow and now have a baby son Leo, took their campaign to the heart of the Government, meeting with ministers to make their mission, which includes compulsory first aid training for all schoolchildren, law.

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Millie’s Mark is now the new standard for excellence in Paediatric First Aid for early years settings administered by the National Day Nurseries Association and it was created by the Department for Education following a very successful petition by the couple.

Joanne, who is a former pupil of Padiham Primary and Ivy Bank high schools, also spent several years living in Whalley.

The charity gained national recognition in 2014 when she was named as Lorraine Kelly’s Inspirational Woman of the Year.