Saving lives is not generally considered a tiresome activity unless you are attempting to resuscitate a giggling classmate in the school gym. As the last time I had to do that was in the mid 1970’s I decided that I was probably due a refresher course in First Aid fairly soon.
Last month I joined a group attending a course given by the Lions Club of Farnham. Throughout the evening there were discussions, instruction videos to watch, fairly lifelike dummies of stricken victims to manoeuvre and even a defibrillator to marvel at. This was certainly a step up from the last course I had experienced. When did it all become so interesting?
The session was an eye-opener and I realised that I had put off re-learning the basics for far too long. Technology, of course, has moved on and we now have a number of defibrillators in Farnham – one can be found at the entrance of the Farnham Maltings, as shown in my sketch above. The basics have not moved on, however, and there is still a need for everyone to be able to give CPR in the event of a cardiac arrest and assistance in the event of common accidents.
Not content to just instruct the public on how to save lives, last month the Lions Club (www.farnhamlions.org.uk ) also held their very popular annual Beer Festival, Beerex, at the Maltings. I am told that it was a huge success and despite the large attendance I don’t believe that the hosts had to do anything more taxing than serve beer – the defibrillator remained just a reassuring presence.
Eleanor Thomas aka KnitNell is a resident of Farnham. For more of her musings and illustrations do pop over to her regular blog at www.knitnell.com
