Have you seen the new TV ad by St John Ambulance?
It’s hard to watch.
In general, I have mixed feelings about this type of in-your-guts advertising for any cause.
However, I’m 100% behind this campaign and the St John Ambulance mission to help more people be the difference between life and death.
What’s smart about the film (shot by Dougal Wilson, award-winning director of the John Lewis commercials) is that the story of the victim doesn’t end in tragedy.
Viewers are given a choice to go online and find out how they can ‘Save the Boy’.
The clever interactive tool will take you through the series of checks and actions you should carry out in a similar emergency.
Even if you can’t handle the film, please do take the Save the Boy challenge.
It’s quick, and the tips you’ll learn could one day save somebody’s life.
Be the Difference
Do you know basic first aid? If your toddler choked on a piece of carrot, would you act immediately or flap around in panic? What if the ambulance came too late?
If you’re a mum or a dad — i.e. you’re responsible for another human being — then it’s crucial that you know what to do in an emergency.
Yet more than half of parents (55%) surveyed by St John Ambulance lack the skills to save their child in a life-threatening situation.
Last year, I attended the St John Ambulance Awards and heard amazing, inspirational stories of average citizens jumping in to rescue their loved ones and strangers from calamity.
And earlier this summer, I was invited to a preview event for the Save the Boy campaign. A St John Ambulance representative led us through first aid measures that you might need if an adult, a child or a baby was injured, fell unconscious or started choking in your presence.
I came away feeling a lot more confident about how to cope in a crisis and keen to keep learning and refreshing my knowledge.
Even my 7-year-old picked up valuable skills (that’s the most chilled out CPR technique I’ve seen)!
Visit the Save the Boy web site to watch the film, try out the interactive experience and find out more about St John Ambulance first aid courses and tools including their free app!
Go to www.sja.org.uk
