Learn first aid skills to save lives UK charity calls

More people should equip themselves with vital first aid skills a UK charity calls.

St John Ambulance have released a new interactive film, aiming to highlight the difference between life and death that first aid skills can make.

The film Popcorn, premièred at Cineworld Cinema in Haymarket London.

Set in a packed cinema, it begins as an advert featuring a family eating a fictitious brand of popcorn.

When one of the children begins to choke, a panicked mother, who has no idea what to do, turns to the cinema audience for help.

An actor, posing as an audience member, dashes to the front of the cinema, disappears behind the screen before appearing within the advert.

They then use first aid skills to save the child’s life.

The advert has been developed to motivate more people to learn life saving skills.

It is believed that members of the public with basic first aid skills, could save around 150,000 lives every year.

CEO at St John Ambulance, Sue Killen said: “First aid saves lives but our research has found that most of us wouldn’t know what to do if confronted with a common emergency, like choking. We wanted to devise a dramatic simulation which would make people take notice of the issue, and press them to get life saving knowledge.  Too many lives are being lost when they could be saved, this is unacceptable and as the nation’s leading first aid charity we are determined to equip people to be the difference.”

To watch the film, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiJjkNN3z5M

A free, pocket sized first aid guide is also available from the St John Ambulance website: www.sja.org.uk