St John Ambulance is taking free, life saving training on the road, thanks to its new mobile classroom project and will be in Falmouth this weekend and in Porthleven at the end of the month.

"St John Ambulance teaches hundreds of people first aid in Cornwall, every year, but that relies on them taking one of our courses, or on trainers visiting schools," said the charity’s regional youth services manager, Dave Christophers.

"The beauty of our mobile classroom is that we can hit the road and take our life saving expertise to busy towns and beaches - or at least the nearest car parks - where we can share our skills with people, completely free.

"We’re hoping to reach thousands more people – especially children and teenagers – and teach them simple first aid skills that could help them be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. I’m so proud that this fun, exciting and innovative project – the first of its kind for St John Ambulance – is going on tour for the first time in my home county of Cornwall."

The total cost of the vehicle, including converting the ambulance and running it for the first year are around £10,000, with initial funding from the Youth United Foundation and Cabinet Office via the Uniformed Youth Social Action Fund (UYSAF).

The mobile classroom will be at Events Square in Falmouth between 10am and 4pm on Sunday, August 2, and at Kittos Field in Porthleven on August 31.

For more information on St John Ambulance’s work, including how to become a volunteer and details of training for the public, schools and businesses, visit www.sja.org.uk or call 08700 10 49 50.