Anyone who’s met my children will know, they’re pretty full on. They climb, they wrestle, they have to run everywhere (what’s wrong with walking) and they fall over – a lot. Their knees seem to constantly be made up are 90% fresh scab and 10% just-about-healed scab – a lovely image for you. But despite their misadventures and regular falls, none of their injuries have ever needed much more than that magical healing power that every parent seems to possess – a rub or a kiss. Touch wood I’ll never need much more than those wondrous remedial abilities, but just in case, when I was offered the opportunity to take a first aid course by Daisy First Aid, I jumped (being careful not to hurt myself) at the chance.

Jenni Dunman, an ex-police officer, created Daisy First Aid after successfully treating her friend’s choking daughter. After the incident, she realised so many parents don’t possess the basic skills that could help save a child’s life, and from there, Daisy First Aid was born. With a huge number of franchises across the country, there’s bound to be one close by. My session was with Kirsty who runs the Bracknell and Surrey courses.

Kirsty arrived, armed with huge bags packed full of baby dolls and limbless adult torsos which would become the focus of most of our session. Quickly we were set up, with said dolls splayed across the sitting room floor, ready to go. In a session that whizzed by, we covered pretty much everything I could want to know should my children (or anyone I’m with) ever need first aid. From choking to bee stings, there wasn’t much that wasn’t covered by the very knowledgeable and friendly Kirsty. And whilst I always felt I had a basic understanding of first aid, (from catching the odd scene in Holby City and having completed my FA Coaching badges), this was thoroughly detailed, informative and extremely useful. A lot of our time was made up of learning different techniques such as resuscitation, but it was actually the conversation around the techniques, and understanding the finer details that I found fascinating and invaluable. For example, I would never have pushed so hard and deep on someone’s chest before Kirsty taught me the appropriate technique. Despite the seriousness of the topic at hand, the session was relaxed and fun, and was the perfect way to learn such precious life skills. Learning first aid might seem like too much effort to some, or that ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude might kick in. Who really wants to give up a couple of hours that could save a life when the TV needs to be watched and Facebook needs checking – I mean, priorities right?! But if you do want to learn some first aid, I couldn’t recommend Daisy First Aid highly enough.

Disclaimer – I was offered the first aid course from Daisy First Aid in return for a blog post. Everything I’ve said is a true reflection of my first aid course. If you’re a parent, a group of friends, a school or anyone wanting to learn some lifesaving skills, do consider Daisy First Aid.