Our expert with lived experience of autism and co-trainer, Andy recently shared his story about visual impairment, and the difference reasonable adjustments make.
Andy talks to colleague, and trainer, Julie about his experience in the workplace, in this Facebook reel uploaded to our social media page.
You can hear Andy’s story here…World Sight Day Video
world sight day
Reasonable adjustments in the work place - Andy’s story
We recently held a Fire Marshal course here at Coventry Training Consortium, and as you can see from the images - we hardly needed the use of fire extinguishers! Well done delegates for persevering with our practical element, despite the weather conditions. Here are a few fire facts for you…
A smoke alarm was present and raised the alarm in only 48% of dwelling fires as of March 2025
In 2020-21, the UK Government spent £3.13 billion on fire protection services, the highest amount since 2010-11
The number of workplace fires attended by emergency services has declined from 26,670 in the year 2000 to 10,052 in 2023
Cooking is the leading cause of fires in London and one of the major causes nationwide, with 1 in 3 accidental house fires in 2022 starting because of cooking
“A smoke alarm was present and raised the alarm in only 48% of dwelling fires as of March 2025”
These statistics highlight the critical importance of fire safety education and prevention. As a training provider, we see firsthand how proper fire marshal training can make a real difference in workplace safety. But fire safety isn't just about having the right equipment - it's about knowledge, preparation, and creating a culture of safety.
Simple steps that save lives:
Test your smoke alarms weekly - those 48% detection rates could be much higher with properly maintained alarms
Never leave cooking unattended - with cooking being the leading cause of fires, kitchen vigilance is essential
Plan and practice escape routes - knowing how to get out quickly can be the difference between life and death
Invest in proper fire safety training - whether for your workplace or personal knowledge
At Coventry Training Consortium, our Fire Marshal courses equip delegates with the skills to identify fire hazards, implement prevention measures, and respond effectively in emergency situations. Because when it comes to fire safety, knowledge truly is power.
Want to make a difference in your workplace? Our next Fire Marshal courses in October and November cover key fire prevention strategies, and emergency procedures.
All statistics cited in this article are from official UK government and fire service sources:
"A smoke alarm was present and raised the alarm in only 48% of dwelling fires as of March 2025"
Source: Detailed analysis of fires and response times to fires attended by fire and rescue services, England, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK
"In 2020/21, the UK Government spent £3.13 billion on fire protection services"
Source: Fire Safety Facts and Statistics UK | First Mats Guide
"The number of workplace fires attended by emergency services has declined from 26,670 in 2000 to 10,052 in 2023"
Source: Fire Safety Facts and Statistics UK | First Mats Guide
"Cooking is the leading cause of fires in London and one of the major causes nationwide, with 1 in 3 accidental house fires in 2022 starting because of cooking"
Sources: Fire safety at home | London Fire Brigade and Home Safety Advice | Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Additional Data Sources:
All statistics current as of September 2025. For the most up-to-date fire safety information, visit GOV.UK Fire Statistics or contact your local Fire and Rescue Service.
Thank you to Shipston Home Nursing for inviting us to deliver a Tier 2 course this week at the Ellen Badger Hospital. We had a great session, and we look forward to working with you again in September. Please read some feedback from the course below.
Basic Life Support (First Aid) training is more than just a skill, it’s a lifeline. First aid is an invaluable skill that can make the difference between life and death in critical situations. Whether it's administering CPR, managing choking, or treating burns, cuts, and fractures, knowing what to do in those moments can drastically improve outcomes.
According to a St John’s Ambulance article in August 2024:
Only four in 10 (43%) people know how to give CPR to someone in cardiac arrest and less than a third (32%) would know how to use a defibrillator.
Only 44% of people know how to give basic back blows to someone choking.
More than a quarter surveyed (26%) said they had never learned any first aid and nearly half (49%) said they would feel panicked if they came across a health emergency due to their lack of training.
There are nearly 300 deaths a year due to choking
Basic Life Support training can change these statistics, and give everyone the confidence to act in an emergency.
We recently had the privilege of delivering a First Aid course at our base in Coventry. The course provided participants with essential life-saving techniques, practical hands-on experience, and the confidence to act in an emergency.
See some photos below of our students getting some hands-on practice.
Students practice wound dressings.
Students practice wound dressings.
Students practice CPR.
Our Basic Life Support course is interactive, informative, and engaging. Participants learned how to:
Perform CPR
Information on how to use a defibrillator
Respond to choking emergencies
Deal with burns, fractures, and wounds
Recognize the signs of a heart attack or stroke
Manage emergency situations with confidence
With a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical training, attendees got a well-rounded education that will stay with them in the event of an emergency.
One of the highlights of the course was the hands-on practice. From performing CPR on mannequins to simulating real-life scenarios, the participants actively engaged in techniques that were both informative and fun.
Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. The more people trained in first aid, the better equipped communities are to handle emergencies until professional help arrives. This course was an important step towards building a safer, more proactive environment.
We're proud to have hosted such an informative and practical Basic Life Support course. The participants left with more than just a certificate, they gained the skills and knowledge needed to make a difference in any emergency.
If you missed this course, don’t worry! We’re planning future sessions to ensure as many people as possible are prepared for the unexpected.
Most of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training team enjoyed an Easter lunch together to celebrate our achievements since we first started delivering in April 2023 up to April 2025.
We acknowledged individual accomplishments — and obviously, there was chocolate to be had (essential for an Easter celebration!).
Take a look at our recent feedback…
🗨️ Karen Scorer at CWPT
"All of the trainers were great (Maria and Danny, then Julie and Andy). It was great to see the relationships that they all had, and they were excellent role models."
🗨️ Riniasha Varghese at Care Workshop
"Andy’s experience sharing has been amazing and helpful, Maria’s training was brilliant, knowledgeable and interactive."
🗨️ Mr. R. Bahara
"The training was excellent, thank you Julie and Sinead."
🗨️ Bonita Jordan at Active Care Group
"Really good informative training. I loved the fact that Sinead was involved in the training and gave it a voice."
🗨️ Nicola Rosa at Lisiuex Trust
"The course was very informative. There were lots of things that were explained that made sense of the work I do."
🗨️ Charlotte Nixon
"Very knowledgeable, in depth and explained well."
Alongside the wonderful feedback we’ve received, we’re also proud to share the number of sessions each co-trainer has delivered as part of our Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training programme.
🎉 We’re proud of the impact the team have made and their continued dedication to the Oliver McGowan Mandatory training.
Here’s to many more successful sessions — and of course, more chocolate-fueled celebrations! 🍫✨
Our Oliver McGowan mandatory training team has delivered 153 tier one webinars and 44 tier 2 courses, as well as train the trainer for facilitators in 2024!
It is a huge privilege for us to be part of this amazing programme and to see the impact of Oliver’s story on those that we train.
We would like to thank everyone who has been part of this incredible journey with us, and we look forward to many more successful training opportunities in 2025.
The CTC Oliver McGowan Mandatory training team - Group Supervision, December 2024.
Here is just a small sample of some of the amazing feedback we have received:
🗨️ “I rate the training highly and will recommend for all of my colleagues.”
🗨️ “Great learning event to widen my personal and professional knowledge about the support I can provide to colleagues. The trainers were fab and the pace of the learning was insightful.”
🗨️ “I don’t think I’ve ever received any training in this area where it’s been delivered by an autistic person or an individual with learning disabilities and for me this makes it extra valuable and insightful.”
🗨️ “The delivery of the course was outstanding and I really respect the individuals for being so open and honest about their diagnoses and how they feel when spoken to.”
🗨️ “Excellently delivered, interactive and interesting.”
We had such a wonderful time in December 2023 at our Group Supervision, for our Experts With Lived Experience.
We did some fun activities, complete with prizes - who doesn’t love Christmas socks! We enjoyed a Christmas catch up, before our much-needed Christmas break, after a very busy year of training!
You can hear more about the journey of one of our expert’s further below, with Andy’s Ask the Expert feature…
Julie Wilcockson
Hi, I’m Julie and I’m a Lead Trainer for the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training. I have delivered training in social care for nearly 7 years and have supported young people and adults who are autistic and/or have a learning disability in a professional and personal role throughout a lot of my adult life. I love the opportunity to work with our expert co-trainers as well as hearing about your experiences of good practice.
Maria Summers
Hi, my name is Maria and I’m a facilitating trainer. My background is learning disability nursing and I have worked in services for people with learning disabilities and Autistic people for many years.
I look forward to meeting you and supporting experts to deliver your training.
Andrew Blatchley
Hi, my name is Andy and I’m a co-trainer. I am Autistic and registered blind. I really enjoy my job as a co-trainer, and I do it so that other people can understand Autistic people like me!
Sinead Dunne
Hi, my name is Sinead and I’m an expert co- trainer. I have lived experience of a learning disability. I have great empathy and like to give my all to my job as a trainer so that the training really helps people. I love answering questions so please don’t be afraid to ask me!
I look forward to seeing you in a training session soon.
Adithi Kumar
Hi, my name is Adithi. I am a Co-trainer with lived experience of a learning disability. I became a Co-trainer to help Professionals understand the problems faced by people like me with learning disabilities.
When you ask questions please speak slowly and clearly and facing me as I have hearing difficulties. I will try my best to answer questions within the training session.
I am looking forward to meeting you and being part of your training experience.
Sarah Nicholls
Hello, my name is Sarah and I’m an autistic co-trainer.
I wanted to be a part of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory training because I love to research about autism, talk to others about autism, and bust all those myths that still exist about autism.
It would be helpful for me during the training if people can give me some time, as I cannot always answer questions right away, and I sometimes need time to formulate my thoughts and responses. It is also really helpful if, during breaks, I can have some time away from the training room, and a break from talking to people.
Kat Stapleton
Hi, my name is Kat and I’m an autistic co-trainer. I became a trainer to help you understand that YOU can make a difference to the quality of care and support that autistic people and people who have a learning disability receive. I’m happy to chat with you and answer your questions during the session, although I find it hard to focus when lots of people are talking at once. I look forward to sharing my lived experience with you!
During our Group Supervision we worked with our experts with lived experience to create a word cloud of how we all felt about delivering the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training. Some really wonderful feedback from our team.
My name is Andy. I’m Autistic and visually impaired but firstly, I’d like to tell you all a little bit about Oliver McGowan before I tell you about me!
Oliver was 18 years old when he died in hospital. He had a mild learning disability and was Autistic. He led a full and active life – was due to become a Paralympian and attended the National Star college in Cheltenham which is the college that I attended in 2006-2007. Oliver and his Mum were not listened to by hospital staff, and he was given medication that he shouldn’t have had, which led to his death. Olivers Mum campaigned for mandatory training in Autism and learning disabilities for health and social care staff.
1. Tell us about your connection to Coventry Training Consortium and your new role.
I attend Kingshill nursery and had met Maria and Julie when they delivered Health and safety training to co-workers here at Kingshill. They approached me and asked if I would like to consider becoming a trainer with lived experience of Autism. I was really excited about this opportunity and was given 3 days training in how to deliver it, including writing my own script.
2. What have you learnt since becoming a trainer?
I have learned how to deliver information clearly and concisely, how to break things down into bite size chunks and that healthcare professionals especially need more knowledge and awareness of learning disabilities and Autism.
3. How has your life changed since you became part of Coventry Training Consortium?
This is my first paid job so I’m really happy about that! I am more independent, and I received travel training to enable me to use public transport to travel to CTC, which I do regularly. I think I am more confident and patient and have more understanding of learning disability and other peoples experience of Autism, not just my own. I feel that I am respected more now that I have this role.
4. What do you like most about Coventry Training Consortium?
Working with Julie, Sarah, Sinead, and Maria. They are very supportive and make reasonable adjustments for me. I have supervision to make sure I’m ok at work. They are a great team to work with.
5. Have you had the opportunity to make new friends and try out new experiences?
Being here is a new experience for me – I’ve never been to an AGM before! I have trained social care staff to educate them about Autism and I’ve also helped to train other Autistic experts to do the same job as me. I have met some great people and get to catch up with them when we have group supervision.
6. What do you want to achieve in the future?
I really want to have the opportunity to deliver this training to a wide range of professionals so that they can provide better care and support to Autistic people like me and to people with a learning disability. I hope that these people have better health outcomes and no one else experiences what Oliver did. I want to continue to develop my skills as a trainer as this is a really important job.
Those working hard behind the scenes on the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism have produced this wonderful, animated video explaining why the training is so important, and what it should achieve. Co-produced with autistic people, and people with a learning disability, this is a powerful way of learning more about what happened to Oliver, and why the training is essential for staff working in health and social care.
You can view the video here:- https://youtu.be/ouhKSOGm49g
