A ST John Ambulance first aid trainer from Chard is asking people from South Somerset to help almost 25,000 adults and children learn how to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

Jen Forsyth has been a St John Ambulance trainer in Somerset for two years and during that time she has shown more than 200 people how to administer first aid and organised many courses all over the region.

Now, she and her colleagues have set themselves the target of training 6,600 members of the public and 18,000 schoolchildren in life saving skills in the South-West next year.

And the nation’s leading first aid charity urgently needs more trainers to teach people in Chard, Ilminster, Crewkerne, and the surrounding areas.

Jen said: “It’s very satisfying knowing that you are passing on life saving skills to those in the local community.

“I would encourage anyone who loves life and wants to help people to become a St John Ambulance trainer.

“We talk about making sure that nobody should die because they needed first aid and didn’t get it – as trainers, we’re at the forefront of that mission.”

St John Ambulance’s training and community projects manager for the region, Jim Jones, is looking for people with teaching or training qualifications, such as PTTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector).

But new trainers don’t have to be first aid experts as full training is given.

Jim said: “We’re lucky enough to have a very loyal, exceptionally professional group of trainers in the region but, through things like retirement and people moving away, we’ve got some gaps that we need to fill in South Somerset.

“Training people in how to save lives is immensely rewarding,” he added.

“I’ve been a trainer myself for ten years and I still get huge satisfaction from showing people how just a few simple techniques can make a world of difference to someone who is sick or injured.”

To find out more about becoming a trainer with St John Ambulance visit www.sja.org.uk