Calside Primary School donates nine CPR training mannequins to the Scottish Ambulance Service

The new equipment will support vital staff training and enhance the Service’s wider community engagement activities, especially in delivering CPR education.

Over the past 15 years, Ali Donowho, Technician at Lockerbie Ambulance Station, has worked with primary schools across East Dumfries and Galloway and has built a particularly strong partnership with Calside. Ali has taught pupils about how CPR works, demonstrated CPR techniques, and introduced them to the role of community defibrillators.

Ali attended Calside Primary School with Peter McBurnie, SAS Area Service Manager for Dumfries to express their sincere thanks to the school on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service for their continued support and commitment to helping improve lifesaving skills within the community.

Garth McIllorum, Deputy Head Teacher at Calside Primary School said: “The work the ambulance service has done with our pupils has been second to none, so it felt the right decision to give something back to them. Having worked with Ali so often we know our pupils, along with others, will reap the benefits of these new mannequins.”

Peter McBurnie said: “This is an amazing donation from the school and the benefit to the Service and the public will be huge.

“With community defibrillator numbers on the rise, this will give us more opportunities to ensure correct methods of CPR can be utilised.”