Riccall has become the first community in North Yorkshire to earn St John Ambulance’s First Aid Village status, following a major community‑led effort to build lifesaving skills and strengthen local resilience.
Village residents and Hollicarrs Holiday Park lodge owners have completed comprehensive first aid training, delivered by St John Ambulance. Participants learned the recovery position, CPR for all ages and choking, use of an AED, severe and catastrophic bleeding including the use of tourniquets and heart conditions, meningitis, sepsis, asthma, diabetes, seizures, burns and severe allergic reactions.
The Riccall Resilience Team played a central role in making the project a success. They worked closely with St John Ambulance to promote and facilitate the training opportunities for residents, community groups and lodge owners. The long‑term ambition is to have a trained first aider on every street in Riccall and Hollicarrs, creating a safer and more confident community.
Our Resilience and Emergencies Team (RET) has supported the development of Riccall’s Community Emergency Plan, provided training on community resilience and rest centre management, and connected the group with other community resilience teams such as Tockwith. This forms part of our wider commitment to helping communities understand local risks, build practical skills and strengthen neighbour‑to‑neighbour support networks.
Communities across the county are supported to develop their own Community Emergency Plans, helping them prepare for incidents such as medical emergencies, severe weather, flooding and events affecting vulnerable residents.