An ambulance charity is offering free first aid training as fewer than half of the population know how to save a life.

Volunteers for St John Ambulance are taking part in the Save A Life campaign after research revealed that only 43 per cent of the population know how to carry out CPR and only 32 per cent know how to use a defibrillator.

Additionally, more than a quarter of the people surveyed by Censuswide had never received first aid training.

The national health charity will be holding free first aid demonstrations across the country, including in Crowborough on the afternoon of September 14 at Chapel Green.

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Online sessions and free pocket guides will be available as part of the campaign.

Head of community education Carl Makins said: “This September, we plan to show thousands of members of the public how to save lives, focusing on the first aid that they most want to learn. 

“Tragically, due to the rise in knife crime, it feels particularly relevant to be teaching people how to treat severe blood loss.

“It’s vital that more of us within our communities know how to respond to the life-threatening situations which many of us will sadly face in our lives.

“It’s so often those quick actions taken by people who find themselves first on scene in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives, that make the difference between life and death.”