Youngsters learn vital first aid interventions at Langley knife crime awareness event

An event aimed at teaching young people vital first aid interventions following a stabbing took place in Langley on Wednesday afternoon.

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) worked with other agencies to hold the event at Kedermister Hall as part of its February campaign to raise awareness of knife crime.

The event was open to young people and included first aid training as well as opportunities for sports, cooking and creativity.

The Slough and Langley area have seen higher than average rates of knife crime, so a range of prevention programmes have been running – and work has been done to engage children and young people in the area.

SCAS has been working with partners to provide a holistic approach to knife crime awareness and prevention.

These including charity Together as One, Slough Borough Council’s community and detached youth team, Slough Youth Parliament and Thames Valley Police.

On Wednesday afternoon, around 50 young people were in attendance.

They were split into groups of around 10 to 12 people and each group spent time at each ‘station’.

A basketball coach ran a session on the basketball court in the park and youngsters were also in the kitchen in the hall learning how to make shawarma.

Guests enjoyed an art session and there were also some Meta Quest VR headsets available for virtual reality gaming and exploring.

A quit vaping table was also on offer.

Three paramedics were at the event providing emergency first aid demonstrations which included informing youngsters about how to contact the emergency services and keep themselves safe if they came across someone who had been stabbed.

The session also provided information on how to obtain an emergency bleed kit if there is one nearby, and what to do if the knife or sharp instrument is still in the patient.

Youngsters were also taught how to apply a tourniquet, how to seal, pack or wrap a wound, how to conduct CPR (chest compressions) and how to use a defibrillator.

The team had lots of questions and engagement from youngsters and plenty of volunteers wanting to get hands-on experience with the experience.

Attendees also got the opportunity to go into the ambulance.

A spokesman from SCAS, said: “The event was a great success. It was a really interesting and rewarding day for our staff, and we think for all the attendees too, giving them the confidence to do the right thing, safely, should they ever be caught up in a situation where someone has been stabbed.

“The skills they will have learnt could make a real difference to the victim’s chances of survival whilst the emergency services are en-route to help.”

Mark Ainsworth-Smith MBE, a consultant pre-hospital care practitioner for SCAS, said: “Tragically, we see a significant number of deaths caused by knife crime and violence in our ambulance service every year.

“Every one of those deaths is a tragedy for families and friends, and they cause terrible trauma to emergency responders, such as the police and ambulance service who have to respond and deal with the consequences.”