Barry Comprehensive School

Bill Jones at Barry Comprehensive School

Barry Comprehensive School pupils and staff are proud to be lending ‘their' First Aider, Mr Bill Jones to train first aiders in Lusaka, Zambia.

St John Wales began running trianing workshops in association with St John Zambia in 2007. This year, Bill plus two other members of St John Wales have been selected for the eight day trip. The first four days will be spent delivering training, followed by a period of assessment. The aim of the programme is to build first aid capacity in Zambia by equipping qualified first aiders with the knowledge and techniques to allow them to train new first aiders and pass on their life saving skills.

Everyone at the school wishes Bill good luck for his trip and we know just how lucky St John Zambia are to be receiving the help of such a dedicated and knowlegable first aider.

Visit to Zambia – Easter Week

Barry Comprehensive's resident first-aider Bill Jones has recently returned from Zambia where he and other experts from St John Ambulance delivered vital first aid training. This is his account of the trip.

En route from Barry to Heathrow we encountered sunshine, hail and snow but boarded the Boeing 767 on time and enjoyed the eight hour flight to Lusaka .

Looking down on London and seeing the masses of roads and lights was a total contrast to Zambia – where there was almost no tarmac and limited lighting. Also the temperature was about 30C during the day – quite cold to the locals- since it was their late autumn.

The hotel was next to the Zambian Parliament building , on the outskirts of the capital city of Lusaka , about 30 minutes from the St John Headquarters where the course was to take place.

The course was a full four days of teaching, by the end of which the students would be able to run St John courses locally. At the end of the course there was full day of assessments where the students had to deliver a first aid lesson to members of the public. Although English is the main language many of the less well educated had limited understanding. The skill of the students in moving between English, Ngwenga and Bamba as required was excellent.

At the end of the course there was a presentation ceremony – all the students having passed- which was attended by the Head of St John in Zambia and several local dignitaries.

Unfortunately, time did not permit any sightseeing but in spite of this it was very clear to see the abject poverty in which many of the people existed.

The plan of commitment of St John Wales to Zambia is progressing and in the very near future it is hoped to send a number of cadets to Lusaka – in order to promote first aid in schools and the community.

Overall the visit was excellent and most enlightening.

Bill Jones