St John Scotland volunteers support UK-wide life-saving partnership with Nationwide
St John Scotland volunteers have taken part in specialist training as part of a major UK-wide partnership helping to equip communities with life-saving skills and equipment.
This weekend, volunteers from across Scotland attended train-the-trainer sessions delivered by Sylvia and Katie from St John Ambulance, preparing them to support an ambitious partnership with Nationwide Building Society.
The sessions focused on basic first aid, giving our volunteers the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills. While St John Scotland's work focuses on CPR and Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) awareness, this training has helped broaden volunteers' understanding of how to respond in an emergency.
The initiative will see Nationwide install PADs in all 605 of its branches across the UK, alongside trauma bleed-control kits in city-centre locations. Thousands of Nationwide colleagues and members of the public will also receive CPR and first aid training, helping to build confidence and resilience in communities nationwide.
The partnership brings together the St John organisations from across the UK, with St John Scotland working alongside St John Ambulance, St John Cymru Wales and St John Ambulance Northern Ireland.
The programme comes at a crucial time. Research commissioned by Nationwide found that fewer than one in five people feel very confident using a defibrillator (19%) or stopping a severe bleed (18%), while only one in four (24%) feel very confident carrying out CPR.
By increasing access to life-saving equipment and training, the partnership aims to give more people the confidence and skills to act quickly in an emergency, when minutes and seconds can make the difference between life and death.
The train-the-trainer sessions held in St John Scotland’s Edinburgh office will enable St John Scotland volunteers to share their knowledge and support the delivery of training as the programme rolls out.
The collaboration reflects St John's shared commitment to building healthier, more resilient communities and ensuring that more people are prepared to step forward and help when it matters most.