May 6, 2022: St John Ambulance is working with UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA) to offer their members access to first aid training courses – so they can learn the skills needed to help save a life. 

Sheds members across England will benefit from access to our first aid training courses. These courses incorporate all the basic knowledge and skills that will help ensure their members have the confidence to respond to accidents and step in an emergency.  This includes how to manage an incident, performing CPR, treating an unresponsive casualty and how to deal with situations such as severe bleeding, chest pains and shock. 

The partnership will support Sheds members in other parts of the UK too, as fellow first aid charities St John Ambulance Cymru and St Andrew’s First Aid will also be offering their support to members. 

Alexandra Taylor, Head of Community Response Operations at St John Ambulance, said: "In an emergency, knowing what to do and how to help someone injured or unwell can make a huge difference to their recovery and could save their life, particularly if the incident is serious.  

“First aid training will provide Shedders with the knowledge and confidence to act quickly and minimise damage. The lifesaving skills, like CPR and first aid that they will learn, will not only benefit fellow members, but could be used if an emergency occurred outside the Shed – keeping family, friends and their local communities safe too.”  

David Meli, Partnerships & Community Development Manager at UKMSA, stated; “Having listened to feedback from our members we are delighted to have brought together three of the key agencies in the first aid training sector to be able to offer support to Sheds. We all know that accidents can happen, especially where machinery is concerned, so it is great that we are now able to offer access to high quality and appropriate training to help members deal with any incidents.” 

Sheds members can access training through the Member Benefits section of the UKMSA website here.