Topics for this month:

Plastic Free July – Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste!

Plastic is forever. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, including the small amount that has been destroyed and has become toxic. Plastic is a material that the earth cannot digest.

‘Plastic Free July’ is a campaign that is led by the Plastic Free Foundation. Are you willing to take on the ‘plastic free July’ challenge?

Last year, Plastic Free July participants:

  • Reduced their household waste on average by 76kg per household per year (7.6%)
  • Cut their use of recyclables (disposable packaging) on average by 28kg per household per year (5.6%)
  • Contributed to a total saving of 490 million kg of plastic waste each year

By completing the simple form online, you will receive tips and tricks from the Plastic Free Foundation through weekly emails during the month to help you to stay motivated during the challenge! Join 120 million participants worldwide to make a difference and be part of the solution. Please visit for more information: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/

We have also attached 4 posters that you can share with others to encourage them to take part in the challenge, which focus on: reusing food containers, bags and cups; as well as refusing plastic straws.

Click here for the poster on Plastic containers

Click here for the poster on Plastic Straws

Click here for the poster on Reusable cups

Click here for the poster on Plastic bags

First Aid – Useful information

First aid is the help given to someone who is injured or ill, to keep them safe until they can get more advanced medical treatment by seeing a doctor, health professional or go to hospital. The aims of first aid are to:

  • preserve life
  • prevent illness or injury from becoming worse
  • if possible, relieve pain
  • promote recovery and protect unconscious

Qualities that make a good first aider

  • Keeping your cool, ideal first aiders do not panic in an emergency situation
  • Excellent decision makers, quick in action and response
  • Re-assuring with good communication skills
  • Kind and comforting

Does first aid CPR give oxygen to the brain?

CPR is the only way to sustain the supply of oxygen as it directly compresses and expands the heart, forcing blood through blood vessels just to deliver it to the brain. According to 2014 data, nearly 45 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survived when bystander CPR was administered.

St John Ambulance Key Statistics

In 2018, St John Ambulance directly trained 379,000 people in first aid, giving the skills and confidence needed to intervene in a first aid emergency. During 2018, they also treated 91,000 people, mostly at events when providing First Aid.

They have created a new package of first aid videos for parents, in line with babies’ development stages that you may find useful: sja.org.uk/parentsfirstaid and you can also get your free first aid pocket sized guide which gives you essential baby first aid advice: https://email.sja.org.uk/sjalz//WebCapture.aspx?pID=5066&t=0

Free First Aid App!
If you want first aid knowledge at your fingertips then their free first aid app provides advice on the go. The app is available for AndroidTM, BlackBerry© and iPhone© mobile device users, and provides easy to follow advice on a range of first aid scenarios, from minor injuries to major emergencies. The app also covers easy to follow advice on a range of first aid scenarios, including CPR , diabetic emergencies, choking and allergic reactions.

Visit the following link for more information:https://www.sja.org.uk/sja/first-aid-advice/free-mobile-first-aid-app.aspx

Festival Safe website

Although Glastonbury, perhaps the biggest music festival, has now passed there will be many more festivals over the next couple of months including Boomtown, Camp Bestival, NASS and Reading and Leeds. Many teenagers will be attending their first big festival this summer and whilst personal safety might not be immediately on their mind, the Festival Safe website offers lots of very good information for first timers and hardened veterans. This excellent resource includes information about the fun side, but also about alcohol and drugs, crime, what to do in an emergency and how to stay sexually safe.

The website can be found here: https://www.festivalsafe.com/

Stay safe abroad this summer

A new video titled Stay Safe Abroad: Advice to Holidaymakers has been shared by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office.

Whilst the chances of being involved in a terror attack remain low, holidaymakers travelling abroad this summer are being urged to watch a new video designed to help keep them safe in the event of an incident. Counter Terrorism Policing – in association with the Foreign Office and ABTA – The Travel Association – have launched this four minute film outlining what to do if caught up in an attack.

The video can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/stay-safe-abroad-this-summer

Free online training with Future Learn

Future Learn have a number of free online training courses that you can access to develop your CPD. Please visit the links below to learn about: