Meet The Trainer - Sarah in Loughborough

Hello, I’m Sarah, I’m the local Daisy First Trainer for Loughborough and surrounding areas.

Here are 5 things about me…

Why I became a Daisy First Aid Trainer….

Going back to work after having children has been tough. I work as a nurse and found the long shifts, varying times of shifts and the tiredness and stress of the job has become too much.

I started wondering what I could do other then nursing. I spend many hours trawling the internet looking for some inspiration on what else I could do, but found nothing that inspired me.

It wasn’t until a friend said to me ‘why don’t you teach first aid to parents? I would have loved to have done something like that when I first had a baby.’

I started searching information on how to set up my own Paediatric First Aid Business, what I would need to get going etc. Then I came across Daisy First Aid! It was everything that I had been wanting to do, all there….it was like it was waiting for me!!

Since joining I have not looked back – best decision I have ever made!

My background/own experience…

I am a paediatric A&E Nurse and have worked in Paeds A&E for over 18 years. I started off working in an east end hospital, which was certainly an eye opener! It was an amazing first nursing job and I gained so much knowledge and experience which I will never forget! Following this I took a year out and went travelling – I love to travel (pre kids anyway!!) My friend and I ended up working in Melbourne Children’s Hospital – again in A&E.

On returning home I got a job in my local Paediatric A&E. It is one of the busiest in Europe so certainly keeps me on my toes! I was only meant to be a temporary job but 14 years later I am still working there, now as a senior sister. I have not yet taken the plunge to leave nursing completely, but I hope one day to be a full time Daisy First Aid trainer (maybe with the odd agency shift thrown in to keep up my skills!!).

What I love about teaching…

As a nurse I spend a lot of time teaching and educating. I was a clinical educator for a long time as part of my job. I still teach on advanced paedatric life support course and trauma courses nationally.

I am passionate about teaching – I feel so proud that I am able to share my knowledge and experiences with other people.

Since becoming a parent myself, I have come across so many parents who are terrified of first aid and are so overwhelmed by the thought of it. I like to keep my classes relaxed and lighthearted so people feel that they can ask any questions in a safe environment.

I feel privileged that I am able to pass on my knowledge to empower, parents, grandparents, children, teachers, childminders etc to learn first aid, and to have the confidence they need to know they have the skills and knowledge that could save their child or another child / person’s life.

My proudest moment…

I know I should say ‘having my children’ or ‘getting married’ but in reality, my proudest moment was doing a bungy jump off a bridge into a river!! 2 reasons for this…

When I was about 12 years old I watched people bungy off a crane in the local pub car park, I said ‘If I am ever going to do that, I am doing it off a bridge over a river in New Zealand, not in a pub car park!’. 16 years later there I was in Queenstown New Zealand, standing off the edge of the bridge ready to jump – I had made it!
I HATE edges!! I don’t mind heights, but I hate standing near an edge with no barrier, my legs turn to jelly!! Yet here I was, stood at the edge with no barrier about to throw myself off!! I DID IT – I was so proud!

Something fun/interesting/ or important about me….

As you can tell from my proudest moment I enjoy adrenaline ‘sports’. Even though I hated my bungee jump and will never do it again, I have done 3 sky dives (would do again), love scuba diving – best one was on the Yongala Ship wreck in Oz, been canyoning, ice climbing on a glacier in NZ and love to snow board…well I did…until I shattered my wrist so I gave that one up!!

I was also part of the Air Training corps and loved nothing more then when I got to go flying and do loops, barrel rolls and even learn to fly the plane myself!

Since having children I am far more subdued but I have a feeling my 3 year old daughter may follow in my footsteps!!