Teresa Pearce MP yesterday spoke at the Everyday Heroes event, hosted by St John Ambulance in parliament.

The awards are to celebrate exceptional people who have stepped in to help in an emergency or have worked extremely hard to raise money and awareness for first aid.

The winner, teenager Max Wilson – son of former Top Gear presenter, Quentin Wilson – saved his sister’s life with his quick thinking, following a serious accident involving a door which left her artery severed. Max called emergency services, stemmed the bleeding using a makeshift kit involving a dog lead, and directed paramedics to the house in France by reading directions on the side of a bottle of wine.

Teresa spoke about the need to teach emergency first aid skills to all school children, so that all children will know what to do in an emergency. Max puts his actions down to the training he received in first aid from the Combined Cadet Force in his school.

Teresa Pearce MP said:

“Basic first aid skills can transform lives and teach responsibility.

That’s why the campaign’s called ‘Every Child A Lifesaver’: because every child has the untapped potential to save a life.

The bill doesn’t expect the impossible to suddenly become possible. But we can give people the absolute best chance of surviving by equipping children with the skills to keep them alive while the ambulance gets to them.”

The Second Reading of the Private Member’s Bill is 20 November. Over 12,000 constituents have contacted their MP in support of the bill. Members from all parties have expressed support.

Teresa Pearce MP has launched the Every Child A Lifesaver campaign in support of her Private Member’s Bill to make emergency first aid education compulsory in all state-funded schools.

Speaking at the All Party Parliamentary Group on First Aid, Members of Parliament were briefed on the purpose of the Bill and the campaign.

On 20 November, the Emergency First Aid Bill will have its second reading in Parliament. Members of the public are being urged to visit everychildalifesaver.org/action to call on their MP to vote in support of first aid in schools.

Teresa said:

“What the Bill aims to do is simple, straightforward and common-sense.

 

 

At the moment only a quarter of secondary school teachers surveyed said their school taught CPR; 15% said their school taught defibrillator awareness; and just 10% both.

 

If we want to save lives, these numbers have to be higher.        

  

The Bill doesn’t expect the impossible to suddenly become possible. Every one of us knows that not everybody can survive a serious accident or a medical emergency.

 

But we can give people the absolute best chance of surviving by equipping people with the skills to keep them alive while the ambulance gets to them and transform the next generation into potential lifesavers.”

The Bill has cross party support, and has been supported by St Johns Ambulance, the British Red Cross and the British Heart Foundation.

Teresa Pearce MP also raised her Private Members Bill with the Prime Minister on 9 September, at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), and was pleased that the Prime Minister promised to look at the Bill.

Teresa Pearce MP has taken part in Breast Cancer Now’s ‘wear it pink’ campaign to show her support for women with breast cancer.

The fundraising day for the UK’s largest breast cancer charity is taking place on Friday 23^rd October.

Teresa took part to encourage her constituents to get involved in the fundraiser, to raise money for life-saving breast cancer research.

Teresa Pearce MP said:

“Breast cancer affects so many peoples’ lives. Sadly, nearly 12,000 women a year still lose their lives to the disease. It’s time to fight back.

 

 

I fully support the ambition of Breast Cancer Now: to ensure that no one dies from the disease by 2050. We need to make sure that they receive the funding to carry out the cutting-edge research necessary to make this goal a reality.

 

 

Taking part in the wear it pink campaign is a fantastic idea and I encourage everyone in Erith and Thamesmead to get involved. So dress in pink on Friday 23^rd October, have a lot of fun and show your support at the same time.’

Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, created by the merger of Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer.