Fantastic response to free first aid for volunteers

Organisers of free first aid workshops for community groups and volunteers were overwhelmed by the response in Gwynedd and Ynys Mon.

The courses were organised by Business Supporting Communities (B2C), a project set up by North Wales’ six County Voluntary Councils, and run by Llangefni-based event medical cover and first aid training company Medic1.

The two day-long sessions, held in Caernarfon, booked up very quickly with a maximum 14 people attending each one.

They were part of B2C’s Professionals initiative which has also seen a number of experts in various fields take time to speak to volunteers on their specialist subjects.

Steve Knight is Operations Manager at Medic1.

He said: “We were approached by B2C about getting involved with these workshops and we thought it was a really good idea. Although we work all over the country, we employ people from our local area and train them up so it’s great to be able to give something back to the community.

“People seemed to really enjoy the course and they have gained a life skill, one that will need topping up from time to time but could prove vital.”

The next B2C Professionals workshop in Gwynedd and Ynys Mon takes place on March 21, when Lorraine Hopkins of Anglesey-based Peninsula windows will be offering advice on how community groups might approach businesses for assistance.

B2C Project Officer Emily Williamson said: “We had a great response to the first aid course and we hope to run more, with Medic1, in the future.

“The B2C Professionals initiative is one of the ways that we are looking to achieve our aim of forging strong, lasting relationships between businesses and third sector groups in the communities that they serve.

“These workshops provide an excellent opportunity for community groups to learn from experts in a range of fields, from legal matters to accountancy and, of course, first aid.

“Our next workshop will be led by Lorraine Hopkins of Peninsula Windows who is very pro-active when it comes to helping volunteer organisations in their area. She will be offering some extremely useful information on how community groups should go about approaching a business for help.”

B2C is a Big Lottery funded project covering the whole of North Wales. B2C Professionals is one of a number of initiatives designed to build relationships between businesses and their communities.

For more details on future workshops, including the next workshop on March 21, contact Emily on 01286 672626 or email emily@b2cwales.co.uk