A CHANCE to learn skills needed to save lives is on offer to people in South Gloucestershire today.

The St Johns Ambulance annual Save a Life September (SALS) first aid drive will take place today at Yate Library, and will be returning on Wednesday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 28.

Free demonstrations of five easy-to-follow techniques that could potentially save a life will be available at the event, which runs from 7.30pm to 9pm, as well as information on where to go for more free tips and first aid advice.

Clive James, national training officer at St John Ambulance said: “The opportunity to learn first aid is something that everyone should take up.

“You never know when you might need to use it - either at home, in the street, at work or at school, so why not take some time to visit one of our free SALS first aid demonstrations?

“You'll also be able to take away a free pocket first aid guide to these techniques and find out more about the longer courses we run where you can pick up a number of other life-saving skills.

“Once again, this year our aim is to reach as many people as possible with our SALS demonstrations so that more people are equipped with the skills to save a life.

“Please help us to make sure that there are more people in the community as a result who understand how to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.”

An app from St Johns Ambulance is also available on smartphones and from the organisation’s website www.sja.org.uk which offers demo videos, an interactive game, and free advice.

For more information on the campaign, and first aid advice, visit www.sja.org.uk/savealife