TREATING medical emergencies in remote areas can be difficult and the scenario is a worrying one for such communities.

But three North Yorkshire parish councils have joined forces to address the problem by arranging a public meeting when expert instruction will be given on how to give CPR, how to work a defibrillator and how to become a 'community first responder.'

The meeting has been organised by Austwick, Clapham cum Newby and Lawkland parish councils, and it is hoped the procedures learned and information dispensed will make all three villages safer places to be.

“A cardiac arrest or a serious accident can happen in your own home, or anywhere in our village or the local countryside," said Austwick Parish Council chairman Cllr Peter Goold.

"For this reason, there is a real need for more of our own people in the parish, both young and old, to learn how to perform CPR confidently because it can save a life.

"We are also very short of ‘first responders’ in our area and we need to see more people trained up to provide this vital service."

The meeting takes place at Austwick Parish Hall at 11am on Saturday, February 2, and all are welcome.