Ride4Life will be running a Mental Health First Aid Course on the 14th and 15th April 2018.

The course will not involve any tuition costs for members. They will only pay direct expenses like the manual and their share of catering and room hire.

We tried to get this course up and running last year but the dates didn't suit some people for a number of reasons.  To try and get around this so that members who are available can come to the course, it has been opened up to the public as well. Members of the public who wish to do the course though will pay a tuition fee.  If you are a member of the public seeing this as an opportunity to get a very cheap course by joining Ride4Life, we must advise that joining just to get the discount won't work.  Any membership applications received in conjunction with a course registration will be thoroughly vetted. A good indication you are serious is if you hold a motorcycle licence.

This is a great chance to gain an accreditation in mental health first aid. Given the nature of our organisation, it is an issue we come across regularly and it pays to be armed with the skills and knowledge to deal with people who are having issues. It can speed up your abilities and chances to get them to professional help more quickly.

The nature of the course has changed and it is now changed to Edition 4.  Members who have previously done the course would have completed Edition 3.  Whilst much of the course is similar, one significant difference is that you are now able to become an accredited Mental Health First Aider on completion of the course.  This means that you only need to do a refresher course every three years to maintain that qualification. Previously you had to repeat the course.  This is a signficant step forward and one of great benefit to people doing the course.

It should always be remembered that the Mental Health First Aid course does not give you skills to diagnose people's problems or the ability to treat them. The purpose of the course is to simply give you the skills to assist people with a problem get to professional help.

If you wish to do the course, registrations are now open.  Make sure you read the detail of the course so you understand the cost structure. Click on the link to register for the MHFA Course.