About
Introducing the Team & Venue
Fat Panda First Aid Training was founded by Patricia and Aileen, with the aim of making first aid training a fun and enjoyable experience, providing professional, interactive training to small groups of trainees.
Vanessa & Dean are the newest members of the Fat Panda training team. Peter is our Business Manager, & Phil provides tech support.
Our superb training centre is based at Somerville Court, Banbury Business Park, Adderbury.
Patricia Everett (Director & Trainer)
Having seen the benefits of first aid training, in giving individuals the knowledge and confidence to help in an emergency, I think it’s important that as many of us as possible gain these skills.
My career as a nurse in both hospitals and schools has given me both the knowledge and practical experience to deliver first aid training in a way that is effective, practical and fun.
Career
I have worked in busy hospital environments across many areas, including Accident and Emergency, Intensive Care, High Dependency and on a variety of wards. It’s certainly been an interesting and challenging career, working alongside many dedicated and skilled colleagues.
I started teaching first aid in a school setting, delivering courses to various staff members, from maintenance teams to headteachers. It was through this that I realised how important it was to make training practical and fun in order to engage trainees and build their confidence.
Having a degree in psychology is highly useful when it comes to delivering our Mental Health First Aid courses.
I am passionate about using my skills and knowledge to make first aid accessible to everyone, so that as individuals we can ‘make a difference’ when it matters most.
Aileen Sherer (Director & Trainer)
Regardless of age, ‘Train For Life’ is the mindset I want to instil in all my first aid students. I believe that having the knowledge, practical skills & confidence to deal with any first aid situation, will result in successful outcomes in the workplace, at home or in the community.
My passion is to make training fun, enjoyable and build confidence. Removing the fear of “what if I do something wrong” or “I don’t know what to do” is extremely rewarding.
Career
I am a highly experienced Customer Services Professional, specialising in Physical & Mental Health First Aid training and staff development. Throughout my long career, in both nursing and as a Senior Cabin Crew Member for a major airline, I have been involved in training and coaching; helping my colleagues to reach their full potential within the workplace. I have also worked in many other environments delivering Nursing care & First Aid.
I’ve stepped back from being a Community First Responder with the WMAS, which was rewarding within my local community. This is due to being very much involved with my local Samaritans Branch as a volunteer listener. I also attend a local Prison, in order to support prisoners, who’ve been trained as Samaritan Listeners in order to support their fellow inmates.
Vanessa Roche (Trainer)
Having been involved with nursing for quite a few years and with a training background, I was invited to join the Fat Panda team to deliver First Aid Training. It really has been one of the most worthwhile things I’ve done. I love the ‘Train For Life’ ethic of the company, and it is so rewarding to see students arrive – often with little confidence – and leave knowing they have the ‘tools in the box’ to help someone who is sick or injured. The learning is also delivered in such a way that the students really enjoy their experience with us.
Career
I started work many years ago with Barclays Bank at local branches, and went on to work at the central London training base as an instructor on technical courses. From there I progressed to training and monitoring the new and upcoming trainers for all regions throughout the country.
A bit of a change in career gave me the opportunity to re-train as a Health Care Assistant, and I’m now working at Sibford Surgery on the nursing team, a job I absolutely love. I have also worked within healthcare in a local men’s prison which gave me many opportunities to deliver first aid. A chance meeting with Tricia brought me to Fat Panda, and I am happy to be working with the team, and look forward to meeting you on the courses!
Dean Stanbridge (Trainer)
My aim in delivering first aid training is to give candidates the confidence to recognise a medical emergency and to use their newly acquired or refreshed skills to overcome their natural caution and offer practical help and reassurance to people in what can sometimes be challenging or upsetting situations.
Being a part of the Fat Panda team is about working in a safe, inclusive environment enabling participants the best opportunity to learn in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
Career
I came to training somewhat late in my working life, having spent the first 40 years of my career working in Automotive, Electrical and Medical Engineering in various management roles, I decided on a complete change of direction.
This coincided with the start of the Covid pandemic in January 2020 and I was lucky enough to be offered a role with South Central Ambulance Service initially in their Patient Transport division. It was extremely rewarding working with such dedicated colleagues supporting some of the most vulnerable members of society, ensuring that they were able to attend critical appointments which could not be delayed despite the risks associated with being away from home.
When the demands of the pandemic eased, I was given the opportunity to move into an education role within SCAS as a Mentor to Apprentice Emergency Care Assistants.
When a role came along for a full time education facilitator I successfully applied and started to deliver First Aid training along with the various other topics applicable to new Ambulance recruits.
Peter Everett (Business Manager)
My role is to help you understand what First Aid training you need.
We understand you are busy managing your own businesses, so we make arranging training as simple as possible.
I’m proud that we deliver the best training in the region, and with over 150 local businesses and schools trusting us to train their First Aiders, you can be confident that your trainees will be in safe hands!
Fat Panda is a small business, but we are highly professional in everything we do.
Although I’m not a trainer, Tricia, Aileen and Vanessa put me through my paces on both First Aid and Mental Health First Aid courses!
Career
My career has been in business development and project management, with a multi-national chocolate company, both in the UK and overseas.
Phil Sherer (Tech Support)
I’m probably the Fat Panda that you’ve never seen or heard of, unless I’ve answered a telephone enquiry!
My main jobs have been to help out on the technical side of things: only the uncomplicated parts of the website (Aileen & our WebMaster do the hard stuff!); Photo editing & publicity/advertising proofs – I’m reasonably handy at PhotoShop; and I’m an extra pair of hands when it comes to moving equipment for off-site training when required.
Like Peter I’m very proud of what Fat Panda have achieved in a few short years – many happy trainees & companies have given us their 5-star reviews to show it.
And the best feedback of all is when a trainee contacts us to say their training has helped save a life, as has happened on several occasions.
Career
I work as an airline pilot for a major airline & have hobbies & interests too numerous to mention. Needless to say I’m not particularly good at any of them – but I do enjoy them all!