We’ve joined forces with Princes Primary School and All Saints Primary School, alongside construction firm Wates to help celebrate the development of what will be a brand new state-of-the-art ambulance base, which will open in the summer of next year.

As part of the build, children from the schools were invited to create their own drawings and creative writing for the time capsules that they then buried at the site so that in years to come, if unearthed, they can say they’re personally linked to the project.

The site has always been an ambulance base housing the former Mersey Regional Ambulance Service before its merger with other North West services in 2006 forming NWAS. For some years later, it acted as Cheshire and Merseyside area office, housing a 999 and 111 call centre. In 2019, staff based there were moved to a new build site in Speke.

The former property is now being demolished to make way for a new base for the Liverpool Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). The team is made up of specially trained paramedics who attend incidents across the North West that have the potential to be more dangerous, those which require a more specialised set of skills, or incidents that are declared a major incident, such as fires/explosions, unsafe structures, water rescue and those involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or other hazardous materials.

HART Operations Manager James Bateson said: “We really wanted to get the local community involved in this exciting project, and forging relationships with local schools is a great way of doing that. We are fully committed to the area by providing excellent care for the community and giving local children the opportunity to be part of the development and learn more about the work we do.

“The children have written letters to future paramedics, created drawings of what the future looks like for an ambulance service and talked a bit about themselves which will be tucked away for future generations to find.”

Jane Thomson, social value manager at Wates, said: “Engaging with local schools and young people forms an integral part of every project we deliver at Wates – it’s so important to us that children feel part of new construction in their community and understand the vital role this build will play.

“Celebrating the site with the time capsule burial was a brilliant way to involve the pupils, teach them about the importance of the ambulance service and give them first-hand experience of what construction sites are like. As we progress further with the build, we’ll be continuing to support the local community in terms of jobs and training opportunities to ensure that this project benefits as many local people as possible.”

Princes Primary Teacher Christine O’Hagan said: “It was wonderful to be invited to join in with such landmark activities with the ambulance service today and we look forward to many more opportunities to work together for the benefit of the children at Princes.”

All Saints Primary Assistant Head Teacher Stuart Macleod said: “The children loved the event, and it really is significant that they see the building progress on their doorstep whilst also being part of that journey. It will help them appreciate, in many years to come, all of the benefits the service brings to the community, particularly as there will be the chance for so many more engaging activities in the future for them. It will be exciting to watch the build commence and grow.”