Free first aid training will be on offer in Banbury next week as part of a national campaign.

St John Ambulance volunteers will be at Spiceball Country Park on September 7 from 9.30am to 3.30pm for the return of the Save a Life September campaign.

New research from the charity showed only four in 10 people know how to perform CPR and less than a third know how to use a defibrillator.

It also revealed less than half of the population know how to give back blows to someone choking and only 38 per cent said they could treat a serious bleed.

The charity's head of community education, Carl Makins, said: "This September we plan to show thousands of members of the public how to save lives.

"Tragically, due to the rise in knife crime, it feels particularly relevant to be teaching people how to treat severe blood loss.

"It’s vital more of us within our communities know how to respond to the life-threatening situations which many of us will sadly face in our lives.

"It’s so often those quick actions taken by people who find themselves first on scene in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives that make the difference between life and death."

St John has adapted its first aid sessions to teach people how to deal with these situations through demonstrations in public places, online sessions and by giving away free first aid pocket guides.