Affordable first aid training for churches

A Baptist minister has created a company to provide first aid and health and safety training for churches and others at cost price

When David Callander became minister-in-training in 2014 at Trinity Baptist Church in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, he found a church without first aiders or up-to-date fire or health and safety policies. 'This is not unusual in churches, especially during an interregnum,' said David, explaining local training companies were charging £150 for a one-day first aid course, per person.

To address this David went back to his secular role – teaching – and formed a company, initially to train his own church volunteers.

Following an on-line survey, it was found that Baptist church health and safety provision in the North West was poor, so the North Western Baptist Association kindly part-funded some training to enable David to teach churches fire safety, manual handling and health and safety courses at Level 2, at cost price.
 
He has now expanded Churches Training to provide cost price training to all churches, charities and not for profit organisations, as well as to anyone in receipt of benefits.

'We operate as a not for profit social enterprise. As we run at cost price, this has brought the ‘per head’ cost down to just £35, which has saved churches a fortune in training fees,' he said.
 
David has recently been inducted as minister at Ilkley Baptist Church in Yorkshire, and is keen to offer the training initiative to other churches throughout the country. He has a colleague in Surrey who is prepared to teach in the South and London, while he is available in the North. 

He also sees this as part of his church’s mission strategy, as it brings lots of new people into the church, where the majority of the courses are held. 'Many unchurched people on the course have asked about our ‘paddling pools’ when they have seen them - it starts conversations,' he said.