Tarmac help equip children with vital first-aid skills

Company’s Aberthaw Cement Plant funds first-aid training for Vale of Glamorgan youngsters

FORTY youngsters from the Rhoose area of South Wales have been given vital first-aid training thanks to Tarmac’s Aberthaw Cement Plant.

The children, who are aged 9–18, and members of The Vale Parent Child Homework Support Club, underwent the life skills session after Tarmac donated money to fund the course.

Tarmac’s Aberthaw plant manager, Chris Bradbury, said: ‘We are delighted to have been able to fund this course and that there was such an appetite for it among Rhoose youngsters.

‘Safety is of paramount importance to our business and first aid is a simple skill to learn but it can have an incredible impact. We’re delighted that so many people came forward to undertake this valuable training.’

Held at Rhoose Community Centre, the full one-day course gave the youngsters the opportunity to undertake practical exercises while also learning the theory behind first aid and how to treat the most common injuries and accidents.

Eleven-year-old Ross Harris, who was one of the course participants, said: ‘We all have accidents and get hurt every so often and so when I learnt of the opportunity to train in first aid I jumped at the chance.

‘The course was fantastic and gave us all a good grounding in and understanding of first aid. I certainly now feel much more comfortable and confident in making the right decisions if faced with a situation where someone is hurt.’

Tarmac provided the funding for the course as part of their local community commitment. For the past two years the company has partnered with The Vale Parent Child Homework Support Club, which helps children across the Vale of Glamorgan to keep up with their school work and gives them confidence in their learning abilities.

The Club, which is run by volunteers and holds English and maths support sessions for local school children, is now also helping older family members to further their skills with adult learning support.

One of Club’s founder members, Cath Watkins, said: ‘Thanks to Tarmac’s generous donation to fund this training course, we have been able to reach out to young members of the Rhoose community to provide them with a solid understanding of first aid.

‘We hope that they won’t need to put their learning into practice, but should they ever need to do so they can do it with confidence.’