Derbyshire business supporting 999 Appeal

Leigh Pickering, Leengate Valves’ commercial director, explained why they decided to support the inititative, which provides various benefits, including on-site first aid training for staff. Leengate Valves, based in Somercotes, is the UK’s leading valves wholesaler and stockist.

He said: “As a business which employs around 40 staff, we only have to have two qualified first aiders on site at any one time. We felt that this wasn’t sufficient so when the opportunity arose to take part in the 999 Appeal, we jumped at the chance.

“Giving this training opportunity to our staff has not only given them valuable life skills but could help prevent accidents happening at work. We felt that the more staff we have trained in first aid, the sooner treatment could be provided should an instance require it, especially with the current strains on the NHS.”

Pickering was impressed with the quality of the training provided by CSALS’ lead trainer, John Hutchinson, commenting: “The training was fun, engaging, informative and to the point, now our staff are equipped with skills and confidence to provide first aid should a situation arise, both in the workplace and in the wider community.

“The training on defibrillators was valuable as these were deemed a ‘scary’ piece of equipment beforehand and now as a company we are looking to invest in a defibrillator on site.”

Debra Johnson, CSALS’ community facilitator, thanked Leengate Valves. She said: “The help we receive from the local business community is vital and the support from Leigh and Steve is very much appreciated. It’s nice to know that a number of their staff are now equipped with vital first aid skills as a result of our training.”

To find out more about the 999 Appeal, please email [email protected].