By William Coleman
When on holiday it is always handy to take a good first-aid kit with you. For those moments where you cut your finger on the tin of beans or one of the kids takes a tumble and grazes their knee. There are those instances where you may need a bit more than some TCP and a bandage. This family run holiday park group have just spend £5,000 on defibrillators for their 7 sites in the Midlands and Wales.
The move by Hillandale Caravan Parks is to increase the chances of survival and well being of someone who could suffer a cardiac arrest. Heart issues are extremely common and can sometimes come out of nowhere with no real sign or symptoms beforehand. Having defibrillators can be the difference between life and death.
One of the main features of the Hillandale sites are their remote hideaway locations deep in the wilds of the countryside, which means they are not exactly a stone’s throw away from a medical facility. So having these life saving tools on hand can save vital minutes in delivering treatment to a guest while professional assistance arrives.
Having 7 sites with more than 1,000 holiday home and touring pitches means that’s the number of guests at any one time can be that of a village or small town, says Charles Lloyd Jones of Hillandale Caravan Parks.
With a lot of holiday home owners, he adds, being in a higher ar-risk age bracket which is statistically more likely to require the use of a defibrillator.
The defibrillator is one of the best life saving first aid kits available. The equipment has come on in leaps and bounds with the new generation of automatic ones that do around 90% of the work for you. The new one have very clear instruction and built in sensor that detect if the placement of the pads are correct, preventing any kind of accident. In the event of the defibrillator needs to be used it is the most effective when used immediately following a heart attack so waiting for a medical team can be life threatening.
The defibrillators are being supplied by industry leading medical equipment specialists Physio-Control who have provided training to the teams as each park on when and how they should use the the new life saving tools.
Charles, who is a third generation of his family, help move the company in a direction of caravan manufacturing in Wednesbury, West Midlands. The company has been operating for 70 years and has grown to a 7 award-winning holiday parks which are located in placid locations in Shropshire, Worcestershire, Mid Wales and the Welsh Coast.
“Having defibrillators immediately to hand could make a crucial difference, and especially in summer when travelling times are lengthened by traffic volumes,” says Charles.
“The equipment is, of course, something which we hope will never be needed – but we are mindful of its life-saving potential, especially in a remote rural areas.
“Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a major killer in Britain, and a close-at-hand defibrillator on the park could dramatically increase a person’s life chances.
“We’ve already received fantastic feedback from guests, including those who know someone who is vulnerable due to their medical history,” he added.
All seven of the parks are award winning sites and the David Bellamy Conservation Award is among the many accolades they have amassed over the years.
Hillandale’s English parks are Lickhill Manor and Lincomb Lock near Stourport-on-Severn, The Coppice near Worcester, and The Glen in Shropshire.
In Wales, the family owns Borders Hideway near Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Riverbend in Llangadfan near Welshpool, and Morfa Bychan near Aberystwyth.
It is fantastic to see a holiday park company taking positive steps to ensure the safety of it members and guests. Always stay safe when touring and ensure you use responsible sites who care about your well being so you can carry on camping.
There is more information about the parks at www.hillandale.co.uk
