INMATES at Glenochil will be part of a new scheme to teach prisoners first aid thanks to a funding boost from St Andrew’s First Aid.

From this month, prisoners across Scotland’s central belt will be able to learn a new life skill thanks to the funding boost.

The opportunity follows a highly successful 12-month pilot project which ran in HMP Low Moss in East Dunbartonshire and HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow, delivered by St Andrew’s First Aid, in collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and Fife College.

An additional £7,000 funding has been secured from National Lottery Awards for All to roll the project out to other prisons.

Restart – First Aid in Prisons saw more than 100 prisoners undertake first aid training during the pilot.

It was trialled after several of them expressed an interest in learning a life skill that would add to their own personal development as well as be both practical and beneficial.

Voluntary participation in educational initiatives can be problematic for some prisoners given previous poor experiences or a lack of functional literacies skills.

A practical programme such as first aid certification can be achieved through on-site demonstrations and class work, which help provide confidence and improve self-esteem as well as provide an ideal skill to learn.

The qualification is a recognised accreditation that lasts for three years, providing a stepping-stone for individuals looking to secure future employment or as an introduction into adult learning.

The success of the pilot led the SPS and Fife College to approach St Andrew’s First Aid to explore expanding the initiative to additional prisons in the central belt of Scotland.

Having secured the necessary funding, the charity began delivering training sessions on Monday August 5 and will run over the next 12 months. Training will be delivered as a single session or split into two sessions if necessary.

Stuart Callison, chief executive of St Andrew’s First Aid, said: “Bringing first aid into prisons is helping to equip people with a skill that will support them in the next step of their lives once they have left the unit.

“First aid training isn’t just about the ability to save a life. It goes further than that by instilling greater confidence in individuals and boosting a sense of contribution to society.

One prisoner who underwent the training said: “I feel so much more confident after doing the course.

"I have a young baby at home and although I hope nothing ever happens to them, I now know that I could help them if they were ever to have an accident, choke or fall unconscious. It’s a really good feeling to have.”