ST John Ambulance said more than half of parents in the North West lack the necessary training to save their child in the event of a life-threatening accident.

The charity carried out a survey to highlight the issue and encourage East Lancashire residents to learn basic first aid skills in one of its three-hour courses in the new year.

The courses teach people how to deal with incidents such as choking, severe bleeding and cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the charity is offering a 33 per cent discount on bookings made before the end of December. Graham Ellis, a North West manager for the charity, said: “Learning first aid is one of the single most important things you can do in your life.

“You never know when you may need it – at home, at work, in school, playing sport – you just don’t know.

“What better gift is there than the skills to save a life.”

Courses will run from January to March. For more information and to take advantage of the discount, call St John Ambulance on 0161 443 0106 and quote NWPR2014.