Gaydon, Warwickshire, 25 August 2011 ‑As part of Land Rover's three year global initiative of 'Reaching Vulnerable People Around the World', the first pair of cycle response units (CRUs) were handed over to the British Red Cross at the Guy Salmon dealership in Knutsford yesterday.
This September will see the bikes rolled out across theUK, as part of a vital new nationwide fleet of 26 cycles for the British Red Cross. They will help strengthen the ability of the Red Cross to respond to emergencies and people in need of assistance.
Developed with 2x2, Land Rover's bicycle manufacturer, the 26 bikes (which will work in pairs) have been custom built and will be fully equipped to save lives. British Red Cross first aiders will be geared up for emergencies and the 13 pairs of CRUs will be able to effectively navigate urban and crowded areas, reaching people faster in times of emergency with life‑saving care.
Each CRU is fully equipped with a defibrillator, advanced first aid kit and resuscitation equipment, enabling first‑aiders to respond to incidents swiftly.
Colin Green, Managing Director of Land RoverUKsaid: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to contribute to the long term support of the British Red Cross in our home market. By installing defibrillators in both the 30 donated vehicles and in these cycle response units, it will significantly enhance the British Red Cross' ability to treat people at crowded events and areas where vehicle access is limited, whatever the terrain or conditions."
"It's been great seeing the bikes here at Knutsford ‑ knowing they will be helping to save lives right across theUK. By equipping our 2x2 cycles with life‑saving equipment means that The British Red Cross is even better prepared for emergencies ‑ especially at the forthcoming Chester races and Tatton Park Triathlon in the north west," added Jason Emanuel, Managing Director of Guy Salmon, Knutsford.
Richard Hankins, Head of Events First Aid for the British Red Cross said: "Land Rover's support for this project has considerably enhanced our capabilities to get to people much faster and to provide that critical care. This could play a defining factor in survival to a variety of medical emergencies, such as cardiac arrest ‑ whereby it can be the difference of saving a life if treatment can be delivered to the patient within the initial minutes of the arrest."
The collaboration between Land RoverUKand the British Red Cross is part of the major global partnership between Land Rover and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), announced in August 2010. It involves Land Rover supporting national Red Cross societies in 15 countries, with each country adopting a priority programme.
‑ Ends ‑
WaiLo Li or Lucy Reynolds
PR Officer for Global Partnerships
UKPR
Manager
(Humanitarian & Conservation)
T: 01926 649282 / 07801 699
928
T: 0755 784 7561 E: lreyno25@jaguarlandrover.com
Notes to Editors:
- Photo captions:
CRU (rear view) and CRU mounted on BRC Land Rover
Richard Hankins, Head of Events First Aid for the British Red
Cross
Jason Emanuel, Managing Director of Guy Salmon, Knutsford
Colin Green, Managing Director of Land RoverUK
CRU (side view) and CRU mounted on BRC Land Rover
Jason Emanuel, Managing Director of Guy Salmon, Knutsford
Richard Hankins, Head of Events First Aid for the British Red Cross
Colin Green, Managing Director of Land RoverUK
- The British Red Cross and Land Rover UKlaunched a three‑year partnership in 2010 entitled 'Reaching Vulnerable People Around the World'.
- In 2008, Land Rover donated 60 vehicles to the Red Cross, 30 of which were distributed throughout the UK.
- In 2010, Land Rover donated 30 defibrillators to go in the 30 previously‑donated vehicles, and loaned vehicles to the British Red Cross over the severe winter weather period, helping them reach vulnerable people in affected areas across the UK.
- The first part of this new initiative involves the funding of 30 life‑saving Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) by Land Rover to enhance the capabilities of the UK‑based emergency response vehicles, which were donated by the company to the British Red Cross in 2008.
- A defibrillator is an important piece of equipment that can be used to save the life of someone suffering cardiac arrest. Over 30,000 people suffer from cardiac arrest each year, as a result of the heart failing to beat properly. An electric shock delivered by a defibrillator can get the heart beating again in its normal rhythm. Recent evidence shows that if a defibrillator is used within two to three minutes of cardiac arrest, up to 70 per cent of patients return to a normal heart rhythm and survive.
- The new global initiative builds upon Land Rover's commitment to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has seen the company pledge over £4 million.
- The global initiative focuses on two extensive Red Cross community programmes in Chinaand Sierra Leone, and provides additional support for Red Cross and Red Crescent programmes in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdomand the United States of America.
- Land Rover's partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies forms part of an integrated approach to sustainability. JaguarLandRover is investing £800m in sustainable technology which includes the development of hybrid technology and the use of lightweight material.
- British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are and is part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. The organisation enables vulnerable people in the UKand abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, it helps them to recover and move on with their lives. For more information about the British Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org.uk
- Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that define 'breadth of capability' in their segments. Land Rover's Defender, Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover models are all built at the Solihullplant. The Land Rover Freelander 2 and Range Rover Evoque are built at the Halewood plant in Liverpool. Land Rovers are exported to over 176 countries.
- For more information or to download , please visit:
Land Rover ‑ www.landrover.com/ourplanet
British Red Cross ‑ www.redcross.org.uk/landrover