1,000 farm family members trained in first aid!

More than 1,000 farm family members have now been trained as part of the Farm Family First Aid Programme.

Gareth Feeney, 1,000th Farm Family First Aid trainee from Park, Co Londonderry receiving his FFKS safety pack from Steve Lynch, Managing Director of Global Horizon Skills and Harry Sinclair, Chair of NI Farm Safety Partnership.

This training is delivered to farm family members throughout Northern Ireland under the Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) scheme.

Information from the Farm Safety Partnership has highlighted that as many as 100 accidents per month require medical attention on Northern Ireland farms. Mr Harry Sinclair who is chair of the Farm Safety Partnership said: “It is great to see so many people availing of the opportunity of gaining first aid knowledge. Whilst we endeavour in the Farm Safety Partnership to reduce the number of farm accidents, it is still very important for people to know about basic first aid skills if required.”

This training is specifically tailored to the farming sector, covering a wide range of first aid emergencies encountered on farms. This course allows participants to deal with emergency situations confidently, promptly and safely. People attending a workshop will also receive a complimentary first aid box with training on its contents and their use to treat minor injuries. 

Gareth Feeney who is the chairperson of Park & District Farms Association was the 1,000^th trainee on the course. Gareth along with Caroline Lynch of Learmount Group organised the training for farm families and employees in the Park area.  Gareth said: “We recognised the value of training farmers, families and farm employees on what to do in the event of a medical emergency or accident.  The training was very enjoyable and it gave everyone the opportunity to learn key life-saving skills, practice carrying out treatments and discuss what to do in the event of different scenarios.  I would fully recommend that other farming groups take advantage of this opportunity as knowing what to do can make a huge difference.”

The training is free to farming families and is delivered by NFU Mutual and Global Horizon Skills Ltd. It is important element of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. 

Due to the practical nature of the course, training is delivered to groups of 20 people.

A number of open courses are arranged for March and April. The dates and times of these first aid courses are available at the CAFRE website.

Anyone interested in attending one of these courses or organising training for a local group should contact Global Horizon Skills on: 028 8225 6772 or email: info@ghskills.com

Notes to editors: 

1. College of Agriculture Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) is responsible for the delivery of the Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) programme.
2. The FFKS programme is part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
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