Anyone who does Paediatric First Aid. Are you in East Sussex?

[DJGemini]

I'm a cm in East Sussex, I'm planning ahead.. first aid cert runs out end of March. My County Council help fund childminders first aid courses - brilliant! (I pay £20) However out of the 2 companys that the funding is acccepted by, there are not many courses in East Sussex, they are already full, or a fair distance away, or after March, also I have work during the week, and a husband who shift works, so can be late into the evening and weekends.
The nearest course is nearly an hour away, and it's on 2 weekdays.
The weekend courses are double the distance away. I hoped to be able to attend more local ones but they happen to be into West Sussex, (30 mins away for me) which I am not entitled to attend unless I live in West Sussex.

Where have you trained? Did you get on to a West Sussex course once they had filled with local residents first?

Or do you pay in full to train somewhere local to you? eg St Johns do courses, at £75
(i cant afford this)

The course I have pencilled in for is early Jan, Don't know what I'm going to do about childcare! I was advised that I can see if closer to the time, a west sussex course will take me, but that is end Jan, so will mean gambling and missing the early Jan one.
Need to juggle work, childcare, and drive quite a way, I thought it would be easier than this!
The reason is the trainers find East Sussex too expensive to book venues.. what do you do if youa re in Eastbourne?
I did my last one in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, it wasnt a problem, but I cant attend this one unless they have spaces nearer the time, eg once locals have booked.
I think I should have planned this 3 months ago lol

What did you do?

I thought that local authorities were obliged to provide First Aid training for cms? Ours run them every month - night-times as well as weekends. We don't pay for ours either - just shows how different areas have different policies!! Are there a few of you due to attend?? If so, could you not arrange for someone to perhaps deliver the training in one of your homes? We have several companies in the NorthEast that will do that.

Sounds like a good idea, thing is, I dont know what other childminder do around here, I will ask those that I know, ESCC said I can ring either of the companys and chose course that suits. Unfortunatley, over the next 6 months, only 1 course with space, which I have to of course take,
There are half a dozen closer ones, on easy to co ordinate days, just that they arent actually in my county.