Benjamin Trewartha

Benjamin Trewartha from Church Village is the founder of Health4Curriculum, established to get first aid training and mental health training added to the curriculum in Welsh schools.

The idea for Health4Curriculum came to Benjamin after his father suffered a heart attack whilst waiting in A&E to be treated for another injury and Ben realised that he would not have known what to do if that had happened at home. This motivated him to do a first aid course with the British Heart Foundation.

4 years later, a classmate collapsed in class and this strengthened Benjamin’s belief that all students should receive first aid training as he was the only person who knew what to do in that situation.

The contents for the ‘Save a Mate’ training module is nearing completion and draws on best practice training materials and from doctors’ own experiences. Benjamin has carried out different surveys with schools and students and researched what provision is currently available in the voluntary sector and in schools overseas

Pilots have been arranged with local schools to test the training module.

Health4Curriculum also has a 2nd aim – to also get mental health awareness on the curriculum. This initiative is at the information-gathering stage and will focus on a range of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety and will provide learning on identifying symptoms, where to get help and how to empathise with those who are experiencing mental health difficulties.