The British Festival
Not everyone is given an early crack at CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Well, call my kids Charity and Daniel truly blessed. They were given an opportunity to have a brief “hands-on training” in CPR at The British Festival, held on February 24 to 26, 2017 at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City.
Conducted at the booth of BT Industries, Lifeline Rescue staff, led by team leader Mr. Matt Bierneza, emphasized to my kids the importance of the step-by-step process of the life-saving method.
Some essential reminders in conducting the emergency medical method include these: that the prospective “lifesaver” will make sure the environment where he or she will perform the CPR in is safe; that the supposed patient is “properly handled,” with special care in holding the person’s neck; that the hands of the rescuer are properly situated between the imaginary mamillary line between the ribs; and that the pressure to be used is neither too strong nor too soft, to protect the rib cage from breaking and to help the victim regain consciousness.
Should the patient still fail to show signs of consciousness, the rescuer will either perform mouth to mouth resuscitation or make use of a medical equipment called automated external defibrillator or AED.
According to Lifeline Rescue supervisor Maricar Galvan, this CPR gadget will serve to detect if the patient already has a heart rhythm. If the absence of a heart rhythm persists, AED’s two patches will be placed on the patient’s left and right areas of the chest, and will apply electrical therapy. Its goal is to stop irregular heartbeat and reestablish an effective heart rhythm.
These methods will be used, until the necessary and urgent medical help arrives at the emergency scene.
I thought my kids’ interests would wane as they went through the brief training, considering the heat of day. But to my pleasant surprise, Charity and Daniel were serious about learning some skills in saving lives, just in case they encounter such an emergency in their lifetime.
My kids were not the only ones who were drawn to listen and try performing the mock CPR. Other kids also showed the same interest and enthusiasm in the “mini-training.”
Even their dad showed attention to the method and talked with Joshua Cohen, Sales Manager of BT Industries Inc. about some of the latest in CPR methods and technology.
The Entertainment Side…
It would’ve been a drag if The British Festival 2017 were all “serious business.” What festival wouldn’t have fun and entertainment? And my kids weren’t at all disappointed!
They had a semblance of what it must feel like to be at the center stage of “Britain’s Got Talent,” when they had their photo taken at a make-believe studio stage prepared by RTL CBS Entertainment.
At first, we wondered if they could even set their feet on the stage, but the staff were just too friendly and gladly invited the kids to have them have a “photo shoot” up the stage.
Charity, who sings well, had an additional treat with a better “feel” of the stage, when she was allowed to record Adele’s renown song Rolling in the Deep, with actual recording by the camera crew!
(We failed to get the video copy, however, as it took us a long time hopping from the long array of booths!)
Daniel, on the other hand, had a “photo op” with officials of Pru-Life, after playing “baby basketball” at the company’s booth.
Next stop: Books!
Being booklovers, we didn’t fail to visit the DK/Fully-booked booth. The selection of a wide array of books almost overwhelmed us!
After browsing through a host of featured books, Charity gamely joined the booth’s promo for the day…to have one’s picture taken, post it on facebook and get the chance to win a bundle of books in the raffle draw!
Mommy’s Corner
But my kids weren’t the only ones who enjoyed The British Festival 2017…so did I!
I gamely posed for a photo opportunity to supposedly “promote” Mothercare products. Plus, I even got a chance to play a bit of hockey at the T.M. Lewin (of London) booth. And I won!!! Well, at least I managed to get the ball inside two holes! Booth organizers then gave me two discount vouchers as prizes! Cool!
British Schools Galore…
With three kids having no choice but to go through the government’s K-12 educational system, we were naturally drawn to explore other possibilities for their continued learning.
The “school section” of the The British Festival was quite an interesting part of the fair, because parents, as well as grown up students, were offered a host of schools to choose from or consider.
The showcase of education providers was quite helpful, because some of them already have schools established in the country, while others gave a “sneak preview” of what it can be like, studying in London or in other quality schools in the UK.
The Cool Cars!
Before our family went for lunch break, we were wowed by the display of the great…the cool…the pricey cars that were neatly parked in front of their respective booths.
Daniel, who used to be a fan of fabulous cars, (now he’s an avid fan of robots) seem to have rekindled his love for these vehicles.
And why not? What with the great-looking features of cars like Jaguar and Landrover?
Though am not an avid car fan, seeing these high-end cars in person gave me an illusion I was in a great British or American movie…and they were all gleaming in varying colors and designs!
Getting to the Homestretch…
It was a very warm afternoon and before we knew it, we were all thirsty and hungry and we were raring to grab some heavy lunch! (Though it was almost 4 pm! Ooops!)
We were able to complete the required signatures for the different fair participant stipulated in the Festival passport given by the British Embassy.
Once visitors finish the required signatures, a portion of the “passport” was torn and inserted in assigned  boxes to get the chance to win a round-trip ticket to the UK, courtesy of Etihad Airways.
I was reminded about Her Majesty’s Ambassador Asif Ahmad’s encouragement for visitors to complete the required signatures to win exciting prizes at The British Festival, if this is their priority.
In an interview, he said, the challenge in holding a great festival since three years ago, was to utilize the resources and ingenuity of British Embassy staff and find partners who would join the project. The vision: to bring British culture, products, ideas and experiences to people who would use some of their weekend to visit The Great British Festival.
True enough, a host of companies, which had British links, brought in the needed support and, blended with the talent of Filipinos and Britons, the festival became a bastion of performances of live music, the arts and fashion modeling.
(Interview excerpt taken from Art + Magazine Online’s love Art at The Peninsula)
Ambassador Ahmad has been actively appearing in the festival highlights over the years and this year was no exception. He was there to give his full support to the festival and was among those who cheered on the performers as he welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors and enthusiasts.
The British Festival 2017, however, was his last time to appear in, because he is finishing his term as ambassador to the country.
Appointed in 2013, Ambassador Ahmad has become dear to Filipinos, as he was pictured to have tried learning the native language.
But while he is leaving the country…his home for about four years…he nonetheless stressed that the success of the British Festival is not dependent on just the ambassador, but on the team effort that is invested by the British Embassy staff, the participants and the volunteers to make the festival truly festive!
