As the city moves towards a busy summer season ahead, including welcoming visiting tourists, the team at iStay Liverpool, the premium party pads group based in the city centre, are taking a valued step towards protecting health and wellbeing in the area. In conjunction with nearby organisation, Body and Mind First Aid Training, based in James Street, iStay will be providing four defibrillators across key iStay sites, going over and above what is required by law not just to provide a safety net for their own guests but for anyone who is close to each of the designated iStay locations.
iStay Liverpool has an impressive portfolio across Liverpool, and the defibrillators will be located at their key sites in Temple Court, Water Street, Bold Street and Rodney Street. With their focus on premium decor, contemporary styling and bases close to the city’s leading nightlife, tourist and shopping areas, the brainchild of local entrepreneur Ann Chambers is already making its mark in the competitive hotel and tourism sector. Ann was recently awarded Newcomer of the Year 2022 at The Downtown in Business Women in Business Awards 2022, and this new initiative is part of a roll out programme led by her to assist the city centre as a community.
Ann is providing this service with the support of Body and Mind First Aid Training. The defibrillators, or Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), are life-saving equipment for emergency use in treating life support and resuscitation, by way of reviving someone who is suffering from cardiac arrest. This groundbreaking business, founded by John Barry and Danny Leicester, offers a wide range of life-saving and first aid training courses, alongside valued equipment, delivered by a valued team of practitioners – between them, John, Danny and their colleagues have over 40 years experience of British Army operational tours. Their award-winning and verified training providers are experienced first aid responders and hold prehospital qualifications.
Ann Chambers founder and Managing Director of iStay Liverpool comments: ‘On meeting John from Body and Mind, I realised straight way the value of the work him and his team are doing, and that as a business owner I could assist them in their quest to provide defibrillators at accessible points, in our case, around Liverpool city centre.
John and his team provide a wide variety of training schemes which impressed me so much, including mental health first aid training. I decided in the case of iStay to provide practical and life saving defibrillator equipment as these are much-needed close to public spaces.
I look forward to working further with John and his team to widen the scope of knowledge about first aid training for everyone at iStay Liverpool. As the business is growing at such a fast rate, it is vital that we further build on our levels of social responsibility at every level.’
Kier Smith, Business Development Manager at iStay Liverpool adds: ‘The hospitality industry in Liverpool is becoming really active in terms of first aid provision over and above what we need to provide legally, and as a business we are making a significant investment via our new defibrillator scheme. These vital pieces of equipment will be available for use not just for us, but for anyone close to our named sites. Speaking with John and his team, we became aware that defibrillators really do save lives, and as a team we are just starting on our quest to be involved in supporting wellbeing in the city centre.’
