Honda Supplies Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Swindon residents dialling 999 for ambulance assistance could end up with a locally built Honda CR-V coming to the rescue. Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust has just taken delivery of four of the popular SUVs specially converted for Solo Response use.

These vehicles equipped with emergency blue lights, siren and flashing headlamps will carry vital medical and life saving equipment within purpose built storage compartments. They will be used as rapid response vehicles, intended to get ambulance staff quickly to the scene of an incident where expert medical attention may be required urgently.

The four vehicles are 2-litre SE Sport models built at Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd at Swindon. The conversions were carried out by Woodway Engineering Ltd at Barnacle near Coventry and the livery undertaken by Halo Bluelight Ltd. The local dealership support was by Morning Star Honda at Chippenham. The conversion project was overseen by Divisional Officer Geoff Todd from Wiltshire Ambulance Service, Paul Watkins from Woodway Engineering and Honda’s Government and Emergency Service Sales Co-ordinator Mark Jones.

The contract to supply the CR-V converted as a Solo Response vehicle, is the latest involving ambulance authorities around the UK utilising the current and previous model. Other recent ambulance multi-vehicle contracts include East Anglia, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man Ambulance Services, and the East Midlands Ambulance Service taking four CR-Vs in to service in February. So with CR-Vs already in use by Lincolnshire, Jersey, Oxfordshire, Scotland and Northern Ireland, at all points of the compass in the UK the versatile Honda CR-V can be found providing a valuable emergency service role.