St John Ambulance run First Aid courses all year round. I attended a four day course in Denton, Manchester.

There were 12 of us on the course, all from very different working environments, but all with the same aim, to become a fully qualified first aider.

The course tutor was fantastic, with some very gory true-life tales to tell, but he was informative, did not care how many questions you asked, and was also there for you if you needed to speak to him in private. He encouraged team work, instead of just sitting reading for eight hours a day.

We also had practicals, practising bandaging, head dresses, CPR, recovery positions and much much more. The subjects covered in the four days were very involved, from a minor scratch or burn, right up to dealing with a amputated limb.

During the four days, the team became very good friends, all waiting to ensure that each of us had passed, and giving applause every time one of us came back from the exam.

There are no faults with this course at all. The facilities were great, all the staff were fantastic, the coursework supplied was easy to follow and written in plain English, and the examiners were great at calming you down.

Highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyable, and the knowledge gained during the week was invaluable.

I attended a First Aid Course as an employee for a big supermarket chain. I really enjoyed the 3 day course which was all practical work. At first I expected to be stuck behind a desk all day, but it was not at all as I imagined. You get a book at the start of the course that you can keep and continually refresh yourself if need be. We covered chocking, heart attacks, car / train crashes, eyes and teeth falling out, head injuries, broken bones - nearly every eventuality! The good thing was on day 3, we had a role play where we were split into teams, one had to create a crash of some sort by dressing up and using fake blood and body parts. The other team had to demonstrate how to deliver first aid to the injured etc.

The course is fun, informative and well worth taking. First aid certificates last I think for 3 years so I am looking now to go on a refresher course!