Residents in the villages of Bempton and Buckton have celebrated becoming the first community in the country to achieve First Aid Competent Village status.
The milestone was marked at a special event held at Bempton and Buckton Community Village Hall recently, recognising the efforts of local residents and St John Ambulance volunteers who have spent the past two years building life-saving skills across the community.
The pioneering initiative has ensured that at least one person on every street has received first aid training, equipping residents with the confidence to respond to emergencies before professional help arrives.
Guests at the celebration included the Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding, James Dick OBE, and the chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Cllr Liam Dealtry.
Residents involved in the scheme have been trained in five key emergency response areas: CPR, assisting someone suffering a heart attack, helping a choking casualty, dealing with an unresponsive person, and treating serious bleeding. Defibrillators have also been distributed throughout the villages to improve access during critical emergencies.
Jacky Bowes, St John Ambulance county commissioner for Humber and East Riding, praised the project for strengthening community spirit while giving people the confidence to act in potentially life-threatening situations. She said the programme had brought residents together “in a very meaningful and impactful way” and ensured life-saving equipment was available within vital response times.
Paul Woodall, network training lead for St John Ambulance and one of the driving forces behind the scheme, said the idea was developed several years ago after recognising the strong sense of community shown during the Covid pandemic.
He said Bempton and Buckton were chosen because they were “remote, but a decent size to make this feasible.”
