Business Hour

If you’re lucky enough, a genuine passion for something can become your day job, writes Emma Brereton

As a teenager, Donna Wren had a keen interest in first aid and decided to enrol on a course. Unbeknown to her it was the start of a life dedicated to helping others and training people to have lifesaving skills.

A few years down the line, Donna now has her own first aid training business based in Lancaster, working with businesses across Preston, the Fylde and the rest of Lancashire and events such as the indoor music festival Blackpool Rocks.

Donna says: “When I was 16 I took part in a First Aid training course. Unfortunately, the course was terrible and even then, I thought, I could do a better job.”

As with many dreams, this one had to be put on hold for a while as Donna got married and had five sons by the time she turned 30.

“I was married at 20 and had my first son at 22. Over the next eight years I had four more sons, including twins. I was a full-time mum of five for many years but my passion for first aid was always there.”

During this time Donna attended first aid courses regularly and trained as a community first responder for Lancashire Ambulance Service in 2004. Her dedication paid off and she ended up becoming a trainer for the organisation as well as coordinating two teams of responders.

Onto her next challenge, in 2006 Donna made a life changing decision to up sticks and move to Spain to work with the Spanish Ambulance service.

“It was supposed to be a two-year trial, but we ended up staying for three years. I worked for an Emergency Ambulance Service there as a technician and driver. With more responsibility, I was able to do first aid and drive an ambulance – I loved it!”

Living in Alicante was a fantastic experience for Donna and her family. She tells me that it’s a much more relaxed lifestyle and her children were able to benefit from that immensely.

“It felt very safe to raise a family there. It was only when the twins turned 11 we decided to move back because we felt it would be better they started high school in the UK.”

When Donna and her family returned to the UK, she became involved with Lancashire Homeless Action, a local charity working with the homeless and vulnerable to get them back on their feet.

“Working for Lancashire Homeless Action was extremely rewarding. Growing my compassion for the less fortunate and sharing my first aid skills kept me there for five years. I even roped my sons in at Christmas to lend a hand.

“I was doing everything from coordinating fundraising events, reward schemes and an activities programme for clients to take part in things like photography and cookery. But it could also involve things like going to hospital appointments, helping with housing applications, whatever people needed, we were there to help.”

Being from Galgate, Lancaster, Donna was happy being able to give something back to the region in which she was raised and it wasn’t too long after working with the homeless charity that she secured a full-time job teaching first aid.

Unfortunately, 18 months down the line the company went into receivership and Donna was made redundant.

“I had no intention of setting up my own training company – I’d been too scared to take that jump in the past but being made redundant changed that mindset and so, Wren Training began.”

One of her most poignant contracts was to travel to Kosovo to deliver first aid training to the then United Nations.

“That was an incredible experience. The first question I was asked when I arrived at the UN building was ‘what is your blood type?’ I didn’t know, all I had was my passport for identification. I was abruptly told not to get shot then and I had a body guard with me the entire time.”

“It sounds more shocking than it was. The Kosovan people are incredibly generous and proud and it was an honour to spend time there. That is quite possibly my biggest business achievement to date and an experience I will never forget.”

Donna explains that her passion for the subject is what gets her bookings. She doesn’t just tell people what to do, she endeavours to teach people to a level that when they finish the course, they could actually go out into the wide world and save a life.

“I like to think I make the courses fun without taking away the seriousness of the subject. Often it is taught in a way that people don’t feel confident enough to actually do it when they need to.”

An increase in bookings is also down to wider awareness of the subject, regulations in industry and a change in law that means all nursery staff must be first aid trained.

“I am always prepared should something happen,” says Donna. “I carry a first aid kit wherever I go so that I’m ready for any eventuality. First aid is not just my business it’s a way of life.”

www.wrentraining.co.uk

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