Earlier this year, Elite Hotels proudly announced our 2025 Charity of the Year partnership with our local Air Ambulance services. Ashdown Park and The Grand are supporting Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance, while Tylney Hall is championing Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
Many people are surprised to learn that these incredible services are not part of the NHS, but instead rely largely on charitable donations and fundraising to operate. Through our ongoing support, we aim not only to raise vital funds but also to increase awareness of the life-saving work they do every single day.
Today (Thursday 16th October) marks Restart a Heart Day, an annual event dedicated to teaching CPR and defibrillator use to help improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Every minute counts - when CPR is started before emergency teams arrive, the chances of survival increase dramatically.
Cardiac arrests are among the most frequent callouts for Air Ambulance crews. Their ability to reach patients quickly, often in remote or hard-to-access areas, makes all the difference. However, the best chance of survival often begins with bystanders. Restart a Heart Day empowers everyone to take those first crucial steps before professional help arrives.
Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance will be hosting both in-person demonstrations and live online sessions, open to all ages and abilities. All you need is a teddy bear, pillow, or rolled-up towel to practise CPR from the comfort of your home. These sessions will also include demonstrations on how to use a defibrillator, a machine that might seem intimidating but actually provides clear, step-by-step instructions to help you save a life.
We encourage all our guests, teams, and local communities to get involved, learn these essential skills, and discover more about the incredible services that are there for us when we need them most. Together, we can help our Air Ambulance teams continue to save lives, one heartbeat at a time.