WHEN 10-year-old Nicole Faux’s mother went into spasms after falling on a sewing needle, the little girl didn’t panic.

Instead, the West Kidlington Primary School pupil’s first aid skills kicked into action and she quickly moved to help.

She calmed her mother down, talked the incident through with paramedics and alerted other members of her family.

Nicole, whose talents extend to tap-dancing and acting, learned what to do as part of Injury Minimization Programme for Schools (IMPS) training which is taught at her school. The 10-year-old said: “My mummy had an accident at home, she tripped and fell on to a coffee table when cleaning it.

“When she fell she managed to get an object stuck right inside her hand. She panicked and screamed.

“I told my mummy to keep her arm up to stop it swelling, I also told her to stop panicking and calm down and take deep breaths.

“I spoke to the paramedics because my mummy was too upset, and helped them by putting the dog in the garden and contacting my aunty and nanny.

“I remember telling my mummy all about what I had been taught on my IMPS course. I told her how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation, I showed her the recovery position and what to do if you feel faint.”

“When we arrived at the hospital the triage nurse put my mummy’s arm in a sling and told her it was very important to keep her arm up.”

A special assembly was held at 9am at the primary school on Friday to praise Nicole for her actions.

Her mother Veronica Hughes said she was hugely proud.

The Kidlington resident, of Morrell Close, said: “Somehow, whilst cleaning the coffee table with a cloth, I tripped slightly, continued to clean the table and managed to get a sewing needle embedded right in the centre of my right hand. My hand went into spasms and I was hysterical.

“Nicole acted in such a adult and responsible manner, she called members of my family explaining what happened and at the same time helped me to cope with my injury.”

“As you may have already guessed, I am one very proud mum,” she added.

Headteacher Eugene Symonds said: “I am extremely proud of Nicole’s actions and am pleased her IMPS training proved to be very helpful.”

IMPS manager Lynn Pilgrim said: “We are delighted that Nicole’s quick actions helped her mum in this way.

“She was able to use the emergency life skills learnt on the IMPS programme in a very calm and responsible way.

“We aim to teach all Year Six children in the county these vital skills so that they know how to cope in an emergency and Nicole has shown how important these lessons really are.’

 

WHAT IS IMPS?

  • Oxfordshire Injury Minimization Programme for Schools began in 1995 and now covers more than 200 schools across the county.
  •  It trains approximately 5,200 children each year with first aid skills including CPR, using a defibrillator and how to keep safe.
  • Children, aged 10 and 11, visit local hospitals and learn how to deal with electric shock, how to put an unconscious person into the recovery position and how to perform CPR.
  • Sessions are run at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, the Horton Hospital in Banbury, Abingdon Community Hospital, Witney Community Hospital and Townlands Hospital, Henley-on-Thames.