To raise money for St. John ambulance, I am going to be playing through (and live-streaming) two of my favourite games: the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series. Normally, that wouldn't be something worth sponsoring me for - so I've introduced a twist: I must complete each game within one sitting, for a total of two sittings or streams. I expect that each game could take anywhere from 15-25 hours, and so over the course of two days I would be playing them for up to 50 hours! I'm sure it'll be fun to watch my sleep-deprived self navigate (or fumble) through the galaxy as a Jedi.

I hope for the streams to take place on the 25th and 27th of April, starting in the morning (in the BST timezone) of each day and continuing as long as necessary to beat the game being played. Obviously, we'll start with KOTOR I.

I'm doing this fundraiser for St. John Ambulance (SJA) because of their amazing work, both before and during this crisis. I was already a supporter of theirs before, when they provided vital and life-saving first aid training to the communities they were involved in, but I've decided to move from just donating to now fundraising in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
St. John is providing much-needed front-line support to the NHS (https://www.sja.org.uk/press-centre/press-releases/st-john-ambulance-escalates-efforts-fight-COVID-19/). Coronavirus threatens to bring our health system to its knees and cause countless deaths, neither of which we can allow to happen.

Even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, I put my trust in SJA to do great things with your donations. Having joined the Exeter University First Aid society this year, I have had the privilege to meet many SJA volunteers who have spoke nothing but praise about the organisation and what it stands for. In the past few months, I have become convinced that first aid is a necessary skill that everyone should have. The positive difference made to the long-term outcome of any medical emergency by having a qualified first-aid practitioner on scene within minutes cannot be overstated. To give but one example, watch this video which tells Garry's story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liruhAOimC0
In summary, thanks to being trained in CPR, when Garry found a man collapsed with no pulse, he was able to deliver life-saving first aid in the 20 minutes before paramedics arrived. Thanks to him, they were able to restart his heart and the man made a full recovery. Nobody likes 'what-ifs', and I did say I have no medical knowledge in the banner, but I think it's safe to say that had Garry not been there, it's extremely unlikely that the patient would have survived, let alone recovered. This is just one of countless examples of how first aid can make a massive positive difference in our communities and our lives.

So, please: support this amazing charity, and enjoy some good live-streamed and socially distanced fun with me!