A new community initiative aimed at both saving lives and creating second chances for disadvantaged people is set to launch in Birmingham this September.

The CPR & First Aid in the Community Initiative will be officially launched on Saturday, 26 September 2026, from 11.00am to 3.00pm at the Park Regis Birmingham Hotel.

The pioneering Birmingham pilot will initially target rough sleepers, homeless people, unemployed young people and ex-offenders, offering accredited training in CPR, first aid and other life-saving skills.

But organisers say the project is deliberately designed to go beyond first aid. Participants who successfully complete the initial programme could progress to become CPR and first-aid instructors, creating potential routes into employment, enterprise and financial independence.

The initiative’s underlying message is that social disadvantage should not define a person’s future.

“We want to transform the way people are seen and, more importantly, the way they see themselves,” the lead  organiser, Nic Careem state, highlighting the possibility of someone overlooked by society becoming a trained responder, or someone struggling to find work developing a valuable professional skill.

The Birmingham pilot is led locally by Trina Triarman, with training led by Phil Ryan, who helped Lord John Bird establish The Big Issue and brings extensive experience in first aid and community training.

The project is inspired by values associated with Nelson Mandela—dignity, opportunity, hope, inclusion and a second chance—and carries his famous words: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Organisers hope Birmingham will become the starting point for a model eventually rolled out across the UK, with businesses, charities, government, health organisations, funders and community leaders invited to help build the initiative. The scheme is supported by BEN Television and NIDMECORP