St John Ambulance has shared three life-saving skills as it looks to educate 50,000 people throughout September.

The charity, which operates in Wiltshire, is sharing the advice as part of its Save a Life September campaign.

The campaign is focusing on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using defibrillators, managing bleeding and catastrophic haemorrhage, and dealing with choking incidents.

In the case of a cardiac arrest, the charity says to call 999 and immediately start chest compressions if the person is not breathing normally.

This involves kneeling beside the person, placing one hand on top of the other in the centre of their chest, and pushing down hard and fast, allowing your hands to come up fully between compressions.

The charity said people should give two rescue breaths after every 30 compressions if they have been trained to do so.

The emergency call handler will provide further instructions and direct anyone nearby to fetch an available defibrillator.

Once the defibrillator arrives, it should be turned on, and its instructions followed, while chest compressions continue.

When dealing with bleeding or a catastrophic haemorrhage, the priority is to stop the bleeding.

St John Ambulance advises ensuring the area is safe and, if available, putting on first aid gloves.

A clean, non-fluffy cloth or sterile dressing should be used to cover and raise the wound, applying direct pressure.

If there is an object in the wound, it should not be removed, but pressure should be applied on each side of the object to bring the edges together.

While maintaining pressure, emergency services should be called for advice.

The loss of blood may cause the person to develop shock, so if possible, they should be laid down, with their legs raised and supported, and tight clothing loosened.

A cover should be placed over them to keep them warm and if the bleeding is not controlled and comes through the dressing, it should be removed, and pressure reapplied using a new pad.

In the case of a very severe injury, the call handler may advise on how to improvise a tourniquet.

Choking incidents, often caused by food, require immediate action. If the person is unable to speak and very distressed, they will need help.

St John Ambulance says to give up to five sharp back blows between the shoulder blades, supporting the person to lean forwards while doing so, and checking after each blow to see if anything has come out.

If five back blows do not work, up to five abdominal thrusts should be given.

To do this, stand behind the person, put your arms around their waist, with a clenched fist placed midway between the belly button and the bottom of their chest.

The other hand should grasp this fist and pull inwards and upwards.

Up to five abdominal thrusts can be given, but people should check to see if it has worked after each one.

If the blockage does not clear, alternate between back blows and abdominal thrusts, and call 999.