Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long
as ever you can.
John Wesley
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Don’t walk away
Christmas is coming… and more young people are getting drunk and passing out. 'Don’t walk away' is the message from one campaigner – and even Coronation Street agrees. Steve Evans is a paramedic with over 30 years of experience under his belt. Six years ago, he was called to attend to an unconscious 12 year-old, abandoned by his friends and lying in a school field on a freezing cold February night. Had he not been spotted by a passing dog-walker, says Steve, he may well have vomited and choked.
Such incidents, he adds, are increasingly common and the victims of alcohol are getting younger. "In Denmark and Iceland, First Aid is on the school curriculum," says Steve. "But these kids were frightened, they panicked, they didn’t know what to do and walked away."
Galvanised by such experiences and driven by a Christian faith that encourages him "to be a team player", Steve has single-handedly developed a poster and information campaign to educate young people about what to do if a friend falls unconscious.
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Steve’s campaign, run from his own home and backed by the Northwest Ambulance Service, attracted the attention of 10 Downing Street, who asked Steve to advise the Department of Health. Coronation Street, Eastenders and Byker Grove have featured the campaign, which has since been taken to Nigeria and is now being used to target new college and university students.
"I had to do something about it," recalls Steve – and with the 'festive season' approaching, he knows his message needs to be heard loud and clear.
You can get the free campaign materials direct from Steve or from the Northwest Ambulance website and be part of Steve’s team where you live.
More information
Contact Steve at steve@samanco.freeserve.co.uk
Or see www.nwas.nhs.uk
