Claire Brown – Tuesday 10th March 2026 – 11.40am.
West Midlands Ambulance Service recently delivered free life-saving training within the Sikh communities of Telford and Smethwick as part of its ongoing campaign to make these vital skills accessible to all.
The Trust is offering free public CPR and AED training sessions, alongside practical emergency response guidance such as bleeding control, to equip residents with the skills they need to save lives before ambulance crews arrived. The initiative, which was launched in October 2025, has been funded by a £141,970 grant from NHS Charities Together’s Community Resilience Grants Fund. More than 700 people have received training so far.
On 8th February, WMAS Community Response Manager, Cliff Medlicott, Vice Co-Chair of the ONE Network, Kiron Bhamra and Tollgate Call Assessor, Toni Williams delivered a hands-on CPR training session at Telford Gurdwara. The sessions were split into two groups to accommodate all ages and saw excellent engagement throughout with many participants sharing their personal experiences of cardiac arrests in loved ones. The team received such a warm welcome that WMAS has been invited back for future sessions.
On 15th February, Cliff delivered a practical session at Smethwick Gurdwara Baba Sang Ji, supported by Co-Chair of the ONE Network, Mohammed Azim and Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Commissioning Manager, Sukhi Hundal. Attendees practised chest compressions, AED use and how to control bleeding, with Sukhi providing Punjabi-language support to ensure clear understanding and inclusivity.
Cliff said: “Since this initiative went live last year, we’ve had an incredible response from communities across the West Midlands and have so far delivered about 40 training sessions across the region. Every second counts in an emergency. By teaching CPR, AED use, and bleeding control, we help communities save lives before ambulance crews arrive. We want to make life-saving training accessible to everyone, in every neighbourhood across the West Midlands.”
Whilst we are keen to reach areas where health inequalities are greatest, this initiative is truly open to everyone from local sports clubs, youth groups and schools to faith organisations, community centres and volunteer groups..
If you would like more information about the campaign or to arrange a training sessions, please email [email protected].
ENDS.