An End-of-Year Emergency First Aid Course Focused on Confidence and Real-Life Readiness

On 18th December 2025, First Aid and Safety Training delivered its final Emergency First Aid course of the year at One Trinity Green, South Shields. This open course had a slightly different focus to many of our workplace-led sessions, as all learners attended for personal reasons, driven by a genuine desire to be able to help others in an emergency.

The course was intentionally kept small and informal, creating a relaxed, supportive learning environment where everyone had the opportunity to practise skills thoroughly and ask questions without pressure.

Choosing First Aid for Personal Reasons

One learner shared a powerful reason for attending: they had previously witnessed a serious medical incident at a Metro station, involving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). At the time, they did not know what to do and felt helpless watching events unfold.

Rather than letting that experience discourage them, they chose to take a positive and proactive step, learning first aid so that, if faced with a similar situation in the future, they would feel confident enough to step in, take control, or support others effectively until emergency services arrive.

This motivation set the tone for the entire day, highlighting that first aid skills are not just for the workplace, but are life skills that can be needed anywhere, at any time.

Small Group Training With One-to-One Support

Because the group size was small, learners benefited from plenty of one-to-one instruction and personalised feedback. This allowed trainers to spend time refining technique and building confidence at each learner’s pace.

A key feature of the session was the use of our CPR and AED feedback system, which provides real-time data on:

Compression depth
Compression speed
Correct hand position
Effective ventilations

This technology helped learners clearly see when their technique was effective and where small adjustments could make a big difference. For many, this removed uncertainty and replaced it with reassurance that they were performing CPR correctly.

Course Content and Practical Focus

The Emergency First Aid course covered all core elements required for effective first response, delivered through practical demonstrations, discussion, and hands-on practice.

Topics included:

Managing an emergency safely and calmly
Adult CPR and AED use
The unconscious casualty
Choking emergencies
Basic bleeding and injury management

In addition to adult first aid, extra time was spent on:

Child CPR
Baby CPR

This was particularly valuable for learners attending for personal reasons, helping them feel prepared not only for public emergencies, but also situations involving children or family members.

A Relaxed, Supportive Learning Environment

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, the day was described as good fun, relaxed, and engaging. Learners supported one another, asked thoughtful questions, and shared reflections during discussions, reinforcing just how relevant first aid skills are to everyday life.

The informal, friendly delivery style helped remove anxiety around “getting it wrong” and encouraged learners to practise until they felt confident.

Learner Feedback

Feedback from the course reflected the positive atmosphere and high-quality delivery:

“Really enjoyed the course and learnt a lot of very useful information and skills. Great trainers with plenty of knowledge to pass on.” – Corrine

“The trainer was very friendly and always answered clearly.” – Charlie

“Good pace to the session. Effective discussions and demonstrations. Excellent knowledge.” – Gary

Ending the Year on a Positive Note

This Emergency First Aid course was a fitting way to close 2025, reminding everyone involved why first aid training matters so much. Whether for work or personal reasons, learning first aid empowers people to act with confidence, potentially making a life-saving difference when it matters most.

If you are unsure what first aid training is right for you or your business, we are currently developing a practical guide titled:

“What First Aid Training Do I Need For My Business?”