A CONSERVATIVE club has teamed up with paramedics in a bid to provide a home for its regular training sessions.

Canvey Conservative Club, based in Long Road, will be allowing the island’s community first responders to use one of its room for monthly sessions to keep the volunteers up to speed with vital practice on how to respond to emergencies.

A previous agreement with a first aid training centre near to Canvey Point was terminated at short notice, meaning the responders were desperately searching for a new training base.

Mick Allwood, co-ordinator for the responders, revealed the Conservative Club has stepped in and saved the day.

He said: “It’s great news, and very important for us. It’s mandatory for us to provide training every month and this helps us to do that.

“We were left in the lurch, so to have this help is much appreciated, and we are very grateful.

“The timing of this wonderful gesture could not have been better timed for us, it’s important we keep up to date with the all the pieces of kit and everybody is using them regularly.”

The club’s president, Vic Andrews, and chairman, Dennis Reed, took time out on Friday to welcome Mr Allwood’s team to the club.

In return for the generosity, the responders have promised it will assist the Conservative Club staff and any interested members in “heart-start” awareness courses.

This will help them to deal with an unconscious person, somebody who is showing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, recognising a cardiac arrest and performing CPR, dealing with choking, dealing with serious bleeding and applying and using an automated external defibrillator.

It comes as the responders told the Echo it has five new members after pleas for new staff amid high demand for its services over the past year. It takes the number of volunteers up to 23.

The Community First Responders revealed earlier this month how December was their busiest month ever.

The group of volunteers went to 70 calls on the island - when it it usually attends 50 on average per month.

The team approached the East of England Ambulance Service which managed to install Canvey’s first publicly accessible and permanent defibrillator in November. It will be installed outside Canvey’s library in the High Street.

For more information or to join the volunteers, email abbie@canveyfirstresponders.org or visit canveyfirstresponder.org.uk

The Conservative Club on Canvey is one of the largest clubs of its kind in the country with more than 1,800 members. For more information, visit canveyislandconservativeclub.co.uk