40% of people in the South East have never taken part in a first aid course

Tuesday, 26 August 2025 07:00

St John Ambulance is launching a campaign to teach 300-thousand people life-saving first aid.

New research shows 83 per cent of people in the South East would do anything for a loved one — yet 40 per cent have never taken a first aid course.

Throughout September, the charity will encourage people to learn vital first aid skills by attending free volunteer-led demonstrations or workplace first aid training courses or by viewing online videos and advice.

The campaign encourages everyone to take less than 30 minutes to learn how to save a life, and members of the public can find out about their nearest local Save A Life September first aid demonstration by visiting sja.org.uk/save-a-life-september

Lisa Sharman, Head of Education at St John Ambulance, said: “People go to extraordinary lengths to show they care. But when it comes to real emergencies, knowing first aid is one of the most powerful ways to show love. It’s simple, quick to learn, and could mean the difference between life and death.”

The research reveals the most popular language for others to show their love is “quality time” – with more than a third (35%) (32% nationally) appreciating having someone’s undivided attention and meaningful time together.

49% of parents (53% nationally) have watched their child’s favourite film repeatedly, a third (33%) (also 33% nationally) have carried their child’s scooter, backpack, and then them to school and more than a quarter of parents (27%) (31% nationally) have let their child dress them or make them up.
When it comes to friends, more than a quarter (28%) of people (25% nationally) have pretended to get along with a friend’s new partner when they didn’t like them and a quarter (25%) (24% nationally) have told their friend a white lie about how they looked. 8% of people (also 9% nationally) admit to spending a fortune on their friend’s hen or stag do.
For spouses and partners, 35% (31% nationally) have put up with their partner’s chronic snoring and 41% (37% nationally) have spent the day with their in-laws when they didn’t want to. 16% of people (19% nationally) have squeezed their partner’s spots.

18% (19% nationally) say they would feel like their partner cared about them if they learned first aid.

Some of the more unusual expressions of love include creating a life-size chocolate model of someone, buying a horse for someone, only to discover they were scared of horses, and planning an ex-husband's funeral.

More than half (52%) (51% nationally) have dropped everything to help someone they care about and more than four in 10 (42%) (41% nationally) consider learning first aid to save someone’s life in a crisis to be an act of care.

For more information visit: sja.org.uk/save-a-life-september

40% of people in the South East have never taken part in a first aid course

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