Wales’ leading first aid charity, St John Ambulance Cymru, have marked the end of their Defibruary campaign for 2023. The campaign ran throughout the month of February, aiming to educate more people in Wales about defibrillator use, teach the public how to use one confidently, and to raise funds in support of the charity’s lifesaving work in the communities of Wales.
St John Ambulance Cymru held free defibrillator awareness training sessions in communities throughout Wales over the course of February, from Divisions holding training sessions in their local halls, to demonstrations being held on stalls in busy shopping centres. This included stands at Cardiff’s Red Dragon Centre and St David’s shopping centre, in which people of all ages were supported by trainers to learn basic AED and CPR skills.
In February, the campaign helped to train 2891 people in CPR and defibrillator skills, completely free of charge, giving more people across Wales the vital skills needed to save a life.
Statistics show that the public do not feel confidently to respond when someone nearby has a cardiac arrest, with only 30-40% of bystanders helping a casualty. St John Ambulance Cymru are trying to change that through important campaigns like Defibruary.
“It’s all about acting quickly” said Darren Murray, Head of Community Operations at St John Ambulance Cymru, “the more confident someone feels in using a defibrillator, the quicker they will act and the more chance they have to save a life.”
“I am proud of our St John Ambulance Cymru people for all they have achieved this Defibruary. With almost 3000 new people trained, we are one step closer to our vision of first aid for everyone – anytime, anywhere.”
