City Centre Ambassador saves a life

 

A Sheffield City Council City Centre Ambassador saved a child’s life last week (Saturday 22 September).

 

Sue Barr, 39, was walking through the city centre looking after her usual ‘patch’, when she saw a mum and child in distress:

 

“The mum was slapping the little boy’s back, trying to stop him choking,” says Sue.  “She was clearly at the end of her tether and was panicking.  The poor child was in a right state.

 

“I ran over and did my First Aid manoeuvres and the thing just flew out of his mouth.  It was a lollipop that had come off the stick and got lodged in his mouth.

 

“I’d only just qualified in First Aid two days before, and there I was saving a child’s life.”

 

XXX city centre ambassadors patrol the city’s streets, helping members of the public to find their way around and dealing with problems.  First Aid is just one of the many skills that they are trained in.

 

And Sue has now become a local hero within her team:  “It’s a bit embarrassing really.  People keep saying I’m a hero, but really I just did what needed to be done.

 

“I’m a mum myself and I could see that this mum was absolutely desperate.  At the time, we just concentrated on looking after the child – sitting down and keeping him calm – but afterwards it shook me up a bit.  I was really shaking.

 

“When I got home that night though and I was thinking about it, I was really glad I’d done it because of course if I hadn’t been there, who knows what might have happened?”

 

Sue has worked as a City Centre Ambassador for five months, joining the team after a stint as a Community Warden in Burngreave.

 

“We’re extremely proud of Sue’s quick response to a family in distress and the hard work of all our Ambassadors,” says Cllr Jan Wilson, Leader of Sheffield City Council.

 

“Our Ambassadors deal with all kinds of situations every single day and work tirelessly to make the city centre a safe and pleasant place to be.”