Fiona and Jeremy Hinchliffe, The First Aid Team

Both Fiona and Jeremy agree that, "We were a bag of nerves when we went to the actual loans panel but needn't have been as they made us feel very comfortable whilst asking about our business plans and hopes for the future. The really great thing is that we found out almost immediately what the outcome was, and to say it has made a huge difference to our lives is the understatement of the year. Finally someone who believed in us and didn't just look at the credit history or use a computer system to decide if we were worth a risk"

Both Fiona and Jeremy have run their own businesses in the past. For Jeremy it was an IT consultancy and for Fiona it was a mobile inflatable games company. Fiona has held a First Aid Certificate for more than 30 years. Jeremy has also obtained his PTLLS qualification which will give him the edge in securing contracts with schools or local authorities. This is a City & Guilds qualification expected as a minimum requirement for any teacher. Fiona also has marketing and business development skills and Jeremy has excellent IT skills and is confident in his role as a trainer.

Together they have identified that the UK population is very poorly educated in First Aid and Immediate Response skills and that whilst the St John Ambulance and British Red Cross cover more than 50% of the market, there is still a lack of versatile training providers. They believe that there are opportunities both for training and for the sale of bespoke First Aid Kits for a variety of Corporate and individual users. From 2011 First Aid will become a compulsory element of the National Curriculum. They will target organisations, small business, schools and colleges, sports clubs and mother and toddler groups.