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Find out more about Cookson First Aid
What is Cookson First Aid?
Cookson First Aid offers free first aid training which is open to all. Funded by the Oliver Cookson Foundation, we want to make sure as many people as possible have access to first aid training and can learn to save a life.
Why is it free?
Cookson First Aid is a not-for-profit organisation funded by the Oliver Cookson Foundation. We also offer accredited first aid training, with all the income invested into our free training offer, which enables us to offer first aid courses free of charge to communities who need it most.
Oliver strongly believes first aid is an essential life skill and should be available for free to everyone. Oliver is committed to offering Cookson First Aid to as many people as possible, for free, all over the UK.
Who funds Oliver Cookson Foundation?
The Oliver Cookson Foundation is fully funded by Oliver Cookson, get in touch if you would like to donate to support the roll out of more free first aid courses.
How can we partner with you?
Email us at hello@
How can I help Cookson First Aid? Can I volunteer?
We would love to work with volunteers who can support the delivery of our free first aid courses. Email us at hello@
Who is the free training for?
It is open to all, however we particularly want to offer these courses to people who wouldn’t have access to them elsewhere, or where cost is a barrier to learning first aid.
Who delivers the first aid training?
We employ trainers and work with selected contractors to deliver our courses, our way. All of our trainers are fully qualified first aid teachers, who have years of experience teaching first aid, our trainers are all DBS checked, and are covered by Public Liability insurance.
Where are the first aid courses held?
We hold courses all across Greater Manchester and the north west, we want to make sure there are no barriers to learning, so we can bring the courses to you. If you are part of a community or voluntary group, get in touch and we can arrange for our trainers to come and deliver the course at your venue.
How long does it take to learn first aid?
Our free courses are between 60 minutes and two hours.
Our accredited training is a minimum of seven hours.
What will I learn at the first aid course?
You will learn to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest, how and when to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and how to use a defibrillator.
We also offer courses on how to perform first aid on babies and young children.
Do you offer accredited first aid training?
We offer a range of accredited training courses, including Basic Life Saving courses, Emergency First Aid at Work and Mental Health First Aid at Work.
Please email hello@cooksonfirstaid.org and we will be in touch to discuss your accredited training needs.
Is the free course accredited?
Our free Cookson First Aid courses are designed to ensure as many people as possible know emergency first aid and how to save a life.
Whilst our trainers are fully accredited and certified to teach first aid, our free courses are not an alternative to an accredited certification, such as an Emergency First Aid at Work qualification. Our training is taught to national standards, however our certificates are not currently recognised by any organisations, training providers or local authorities.
Please read our disclaimer.
In no event will Cookson First Aid accept any legal liability for any damages including, without limitation, indirect or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever arising from the use of our training or the online training resources we provide.
You must not claim to have completed an accredited first aid course following completion of our training.
Cookson First Aid will take all reasonable steps to ensure that our training and any training resources submitted to the web are accurate and up to date when publishing. We may amend training content and guidance without notice.
The information, images, and video content offered are designed to provide a guide for common first aid and emergency situations.
Cookson First Aid training provides its information in good faith without express or implied warranty.
We are not a medical practice and nothing on this website constitutes medical advice or is a substitute for seeking medical advice and emergency assistance.
If you have any questions concerning the appropriateness or use of the information provided by or the information contained on the web pages you must seek competent medical advice.
You must not rely on the information on this website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention.
You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website