Northamptonshire company to offer free online first aid training for parents during lockdown

A Northamptonshire first aid training company is offering free online courses to give parents a basic understanding while they are at home with their children during lockdown.

Strong Roots Training, based in Long Buckby, usually specialises in teaching extensive first aid to teachers in schools.

However, while many school children are at home during the third national lockdown, the company, which has been in existence for around seven years, is keen to educate parents on basic first aid skills.

Director of Strong Roots, Jake Wiid, said: “We are not used to having our kids at home so much and the likelihood of them choking is fairly high.

“Usually in school they are surrounded by highly qualified first aiders.

“It’s really frightening when it does happen, so it’s extremely important that parents are prepared.”

The free, virtual course, which will feature Jake’s two five-year-old's as ‘dummies’, is available to all, will cover basic first aid and will take between 30 and 40 minutes to complete.

There will also be a specific training session for choking and another for dealing with mental health during lockdown, which will both also be online and free as well.

Jake added: “For most of us at the moment, getting an ambulance is going to take longer and we could be a lower priority with Covid.

“Knowing CPR, how to stop choking and bleeding is important at any time, but I think it’s even more important as the NHS is under so much pressure.

“Most first aid at home does stop the issue and prevent a hospital trip, so it’s important to know what to do.”

Jake says the free courses have ‘no catch’ and anyone who wants to take part does not need to ‘sign up’ or anything similar, they can simply just watch.

The basic first aid course is already available and the choking and mental health courses will also be ready soon.

Visit the Strong Roots website to find the courses.

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