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Save a Life September

Anyone can learn to save a life. This is where you can start.
Four St John Ambulance volunteers stood smiling in front of an emergency responder vehicle.

Five seconds from now, someone you love could need first aid. Would you know what to do?  

Every day, ordinary people find themselves in situations they never would have expected: A family member starts choking at breakfast, your gym buddy collapses with chest pains, you find the victim of a knife crime on your walk home. 

In fact, 25% of people in Britain* say they have witnessed or personally experienced an incident of choking, cardiac arrest, or severe bleeding. 

When emergency strikes, having someone close by with basic first aid knowledge can make a huge difference to a person’s odds of survival. That’s why, each September, our volunteers go out to show thousands of the public how to:

  • Respond to choking

  • Perform CPR if someone is in cardiac arrest

  • Treat severe bleeding

What has Save a Life September achieved so far?

In September 2026, over 660,000 people in England saw our first aid advice and more than 27,000 attended our demonstrations.

That means tens of thousands more people in our communities trained to respond to life-threatening situations.

Our volunteers went above and beyond to reach different communities, delivering free public demonstrations in libraries, supermarkets, railway stations, and more. They ran sessions at busy freshers fairs, joined Women’s Institute meetings, and even gave a Polish language demo to over 300 people.

The national media also helped to spread our message to homes all over country.  Newspapers and Radio Stations across different regions ran stories about the dangers of choking and how to respond. Segments on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, and Sky News all explored the importance of learning lifesaving first aid skills.

Learn to save a life

We run free demonstrations across England during September, but you can learn to save a life at any time. Our online videos and guidance below will talk you through the same, life-saving skills. You can also request a first aid guide by post. 



How many lives could we save?

We know that bleeding, choking, and cardiac arrests lead to tens of thousands of deaths in the UK every year. Far more lead to hospitalisations or lifelong complications.

In Britain, some of these emergencies are also little understood. One in three people*, don’t recognise that choking can become life-threatening in minutes without first aid. Only 42%* know how to save the life of someone choking by giving back blows and abdominal thrusts.

We also know the power of early intervention.

Someone with first aid knowledge can make an immediate difference when someone is choking or bleeding severely. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double someone’s chance of survival when they go into cardiac arrest.

We recently found that a quarter of people* reported they would panic if they came across a serious health emergency, but when you’re sure of the steps to follow, you are more likely to stay calm and act. At St John Ambulance, we see every day how that action can turn a chaotic, life-threatening moment into a controlled one.

Donate today

Your support allows us to teach more people first aid.

Donate now
In a shopping centre, a St John Ambulance volunteer is kneeling down on the ground opposite a young child. Both are looking at and touching a CPR mannequin.

How first aid can save lives

*The research commissioned by St John Ambulance was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2001 nationally representative respondents. The data was collected between 13.07.2026 - 15.07.2026.