THERE will be a special course aimed at parents and grandparents in Ludlow that could help to save a young life.

It will provide guidance for people who look after children and are faced with an emergency.

This is an initiative organized by the Ludlow Quakers, along with the Ludlow Training Company and the Station Drive Surgery in the town.

The session will last three hours and will teach CPR for babies and infants. There will also be a presentation about the use of defibrillators.

A GP from the Station Drive Surgery will also be on hand to provide advice on issues like meningitis and rashes.

There has been concern in Ludlow and the surrounding area about the time that it can take for ambulances to get to emergency incidents in the town.

Ludlow Town counciilor Darren Childs has been leading a campaign to get an improvement to ambulance response times.

He began this before becoming a town councillor, after his then 12 month old daughter Myla suffered a fit in January and the family say stopped breathing for a time.

She started breathing again before the ambulance arrived and has now made a complete recovery.

Mr Childs say that the ambulance took 50 minutes to arrive, as it had to come from Herefordshire, although West Midlands Ambulance Service say that it was half an hour.

Talks have been held and it is hoped that a way will be found to improve response times.

Basic first aid techniques like CPR undertaken quickly can save lives and be delivered before professional medical support arrives.

There are some differences in how CPR is delivered to babies and infants and how it is best done on adult patients.

The three hour session will be at the Friend’s Meeting House in St Mary’s Street, off Lower Corve Street and will be between 10am and 1pm on Friday, May 20.

The course is not for professional child care providers. There will not be a certificate or accreditation that can be used for employment purposes.It is hoped that the course can be repeated in the future if it is successful.

To book call Colin Sheward colinsheward@yahoo.co.uk telephone 01584 875946