PUPILS have stepped up to the challenge as a school continues its firm emphasis on first aid training.

Year 10 students Harrow Way recently took part in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance’s (HIOWAA) ‘LifeLines’ challenge.

The project is split into four stages and includes a first aid Helicopter Emergency Medical Service workshop, awareness raising, fundraising and a visit to the helicopter’s airbase at Thruxton to meet the HIOWAA Critical Care Team.

Harrow Way’s site and facilities manager Steve Badby delivers all of the school’s first aid training.

He said: “Having the LifeLines Ambassador introduce the students to the work of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance gave them an insight into the extreme side of first aid training.

“Not only did they get to use some of the equipment the crew have, they also experienced the practicalities of keeping the helicopter up in the air having to calculate the pay load when crewed, how much fuel it would need and the time to get to an incident.

“It was a very inspiring session.”

Having successfully completed the first two parts of the challenge, the students are now working on their fundraising initiative before a visit to the HIOWAA base at Thruxton.