ST John Ambulance volunteers will teach shoppers the skills needed to be the difference between life and death in Salisbury, on Saturday September 6 from 2pm to 4pm.

The free first aid demonstrations, at the Southampton Road Tesco store, are part of the charity’s annual Save a Life September (SALS) campaign.

Local first aiders will demonstrate five easy-to-follow techniques that could potentially save a life, as well as handing out information on where to go for more free first aid advice and helpful tips.

Recent research carried out by St John Ambulance, shows that 97 per cent of people believe that learning first aid is important but only 10 per cent of people in the UK have taken steps to learn first aid in the last three years.

The charity’s regional training manager, Jim Jones said: “Learning first aid is one of the single most important things you can do in your life and it’s so easy to learn.

“In less than the time it takes to do your weekly shop, you could learn how to stop a friend choking or keep a loved one alive until an ambulance arrives.

“By holding free first aid demonstrations across the south west, we want to reach as many people as possible, so that more of us are equipped with the skills to save a life.”