YOUNG actors have been teaching children in Runcorn and Widnes a thing or two about first aid.
The performing arts students from Priestley College devised a 30-minute performance as part of their extended diploma studies.
Now they hope their efforts will help beavers from 4th Runcorn Scout Group and 14th Methodist groups to secure their first aid badges.
“Learning through entertainment can be a really good way for young people to take things in so we hope it has made a difference to them,” said Alice-Bethan Walters, who is 19 and from Widnes.
The Priestley students’ piece tells the story of a young girl who is working towards her first aid badge.
She goes to sleep and four of her toys come to life. Like in all good stories there is a hero and a villain and a couple more characters who offer some light relief.
Through the dream the girl learns some first aid facts including how to treat burns and cuts as well as what to do at the scene of an incident.
“The world revolves around toys for five to seven year olds so we thought this would be a good image to work with,” said Alice-Bethan, a former student at Wade Deacon High School.
The singers and dancers started work on the performance three months ago to ensure they understood what boundaries had to be set when performing for a young audience.
Then they chose their characters based on what toys are popular today and chose Batman, Hello Kitty, Woody and Draculaura. They performed to the beavers over the past couple of weeks.
Two other groups of students from Priestley College have also produced educational performances, one about Henry VIII and another about internet safety.
Sarah Graham, head of Performing Arts at Priestley College, said: “This was a great project for the students to be involved with because they had to organise the performances themselves and tailor them to suit their audience.”
