HUNDREDS more people will be trained to save lives when a new St John Ambulance centre opens in Aztec West.

The centre, which will open in Park Avenue next month, will cater for the large number of businesses, as well as residents, in the north of the city.

Among courses to be run at the site will be those to help companies meet legal requirements, including first aid at work, annual refresher and re-qualification courses, fire marshal and health and safety training.

St John Ambulance reckons an estimated 300 extra people will learn vital life-saving skills at the venue in the first three months alone.

Project manager Richard Clark said: "We have a network of 34 training centres across the South West, including one in Bedminster, but we realised there was scope for a dedicated training venue for the north of the city. Aztec West is an area that is home to a wide variety of businesses that need first aid and other health and safety training, and its situation close to the M5 and M4 makes it an ideal location. With a large residential area nearby in Bradley Stoke and Patchway, it will also offer people who work in other areas the chance to go on one of our training courses closer to home.

"Having a new training centre means our courses are more accessible and we hope it will encourage more employers to help their staff learn the skills that can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

"St John Ambulance has countless examples of people who have been sent on workplace first aid courses only to find their skills have helped them to save the life of a family member or act confidently in an emergency.

"Sadly they are in the minority, as two out of three people don't know what to do when faced with a crisis of this nature and 150,000 people die each year through a lack of first aid."

Mr Clark said an extensive programme was being planned.

There will also be an open day on September 1 to mark the launch of the centre.

Those going along will be able to see the facilities available and find out more about the courses available.

Anyone who wants to go along should contact Helen Quarterly on 01278 726768 in advance. Details on training at Aztec West can also be obtained from the St John Ambulance website, or by phoning 08700 104950.