CPR campaign hospitality industry (3.5 million people) supported by UKHospitality, BBPA, BII

This Heart Month, Project Rosie launches with a clear purpose: to give hospitality workers the confidence to save a life. The campaign will drive a sector-wide commitment to CPR skills that can make the difference when every second counts.

London, 23, February, 2026.  CPRWrap Europe, today announced Project Rosie, a nationwide initiative to make CPR training accessible across the UK hospitality industry, equipping employees to be CPR-competent, confident and ready to act.

Project Rosie is a true industry-wide campaign, supported by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and UKHospitality (UKH) across the entire hospitality industry, a sector that employs 3.5 million across the UK. In the United Kingdom, there are approximately 115,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests reported to ambulance services each year, but emergency services attempt resuscitation in around 43,000 of these cases (about four in 10). Survival to hospital discharge after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 10%, meaning that the large majority of people affected do not survive.

Immediate bystander CPR can more than double a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival, but too few people feel confident to act. A recent Ipsos survey of 2,252 UK adults (aged 16–75) found that just 13% say they are very confident in giving CPR to someone they do not know.

When asked how confident they would feel performing CPR using CPRWrap™, the proportion saying they would feel “very confident” increased to 20%. Overall confidence (those saying they were either ‘somewhat’ or ‘very confident’) increased from 43% to 67% in the same research.

About Project Rosie:

Named in honour of Rosie Desforges, who died following a cardiac arrest in April 2024.

“Project Rosie” includes:

·        A focus on building CPR competence and confidence, giving hospitality staff the knowledge to respond to a cardiac arrest

·        Accessible CPR training for hospitality outlet and supplier employees at all levels

·        Distribution of CPRWrap™ kits, providing a practical tool to support confidence in an emergency

·        Engagement with all participants to become advocates for CPR competency and confidence to their customers and communities, extending the initiative’s life-saving impact.

·        Cost is £10 per CPRWrap which includes access to training and gives suppliers, venues and outlets a valuable CPR aid to add to their first aid kits

“Project Rosie represents a unique opportunity to empower the UK’s hospitality industry to save lives,” said Naomi Fielding, Commercial Director, CPRWrap Europe. “Immediate CPR can make the difference between life and death, and by making training widely accessible, we are equipping everyday people to become confident in emergency situations.”

Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, added: “Hospitality is built on care, people and community, and with that comes a responsibility to keep one another safe.

“UKHospitality is proud to support an industry-wide commitment to improve CPR competence and confidence, helping our people feel prepared to act in an emergency.

“This campaign reflects the very best of our sector – working together to create safer workplaces, stronger communities and a more resilient future for hospitality.”

Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We’re proud to support a fantastic initiative that will give more people crucial knowledge and confidence to respond to cardiac emergencies.” 

Steve Alton, CEO of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) added: “Pubs are at the heart of their communities and are often the first place people turn to when help is needed. This programme ensures that the brilliant people serving those communities are ready to step in during a cardiac emergency. Project Rosie is a fantastic example of industry-led social responsibility and provides a simple but effective solution.”

The programme is set to launch in February 2026, with communications, training, and CPRWrap™ distribution coordinated across participating suppliers, pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and venues.

For more information about Project Rosie, CPR training, or participation, visit www.CPRWrapuk.com.

ENDS

Sources and methodology:

Cardiac arrest incidence and outcomes:

UK out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidence, ambulance resuscitation attempt volumes, and survival rates sourced from Resuscitation Council UK epidemiology guidance and national registry data. Survival to hospital discharge remains below 10% following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Impact of early CPR:

Peer-reviewed clinical research published in the British Medical Journal demonstrates that bystander CPR initiated before emergency service arrival more than doubles the odds of survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Public confidence survey:

Ipsos survey of 2,252 UK adults aged 16–75, conducted in September 2025 and commissioned by CPRWrap EU. Results weighted to be nationally representative of the UK population. Respondents were asked about their confidence in performing CPR on someone they do not know, both before and after being shown the CPRWrap product. Results reflect self-reported confidence in a survey context and do not measure clinical performance or behavioural outcomes.

Brewing,pub and hospitality industry employment:

Employment figures based on British Beer & Pub Association and UKHospitality industry analysis indicating that the UK hospitality sector supports approximately 3.5 million jobs nationwide.

Project Rosie – Media Q&A

Q1. What is Project Rosie?

Project Rosie is a nationwide initiative led by CPRWrap EU and supported by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), and UKHospitality (UKH), to make CPR training more accessible across the UK hospitality sector. The programme aims to equip employees with the competence and confidence to act as confident and competent responders in cardiac emergencies.

Q2. Why focus on hospitality?

The hospitality sector supports around 3.5 million jobs across the UK and plays a central role in local communities. Hospitality venues are highly accessible public spaces where staff are often present for long hours and interact with a wide cross-section of the public. This makes them an ideal environment to expand CPR capability and improve emergency response readiness at the community level.

Q3. How serious is the cardiac arrest challenge in the UK?

There are approximately 115,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests reported to UK ambulance services each year. Emergency services attempt resuscitation in around 43,000 cases, and survival to hospital discharge remains below 10%. Early bystander CPR can more than double a victim’s chance of survival, making rapid intervention critical.

Q4. Why is confidence such a barrier to action?

Research consistently shows that many people hesitate to intervene because they lack confidence or fear doing harm. An Ipsos survey commissioned for this initiative found that only 13% of UK adults say they are very confident giving CPR to someone they do not know. Improving confidence is therefore as important as improving technical knowledge.

Q5. What role does CPRWrap™ play in Project Rosie?

CPRWrap™ provides a simple physical aid designed to support correct hand placement, compression depth awareness, and user confidence during CPR. As part of Project Rosie, CPRWrap™ kits will be distributed alongside training to reinforce learning and reduce hesitation in real emergencies. CPRWrap™ is fully compatible with the use of defibrillators and established emergency response protocols.

Q6. Many venues already have defibrillators installed. Why is CPR training and CPRWrap™ still needed?

Defibrillators are an extremely important part of emergency response and save many lives. However, immediate CPR remains critical in the first minutes of a cardiac arrest, particularly while a defibrillator is being located, accessed, or prepared.

In real-world settings, there can be unavoidable delays, for example when a defibrillator is stored off-site, requires an access code from emergency services, or needs time to be retrieved. In some cases, devices may not have been recently checked or may not be immediately operational.

CPRWrap™ is fully compatible with defibrillator use and does not interfere with AED deployment. Its role is to support people to begin effective hands-on CPR confidently and without hesitation, ensuring that life-saving action starts immediately while a defibrillator is accessed and emergency services are on the way.

Q7. Is there evidence that CPRWrap™ improves confidence?

Yes. In the Ipsos research commissioned for this initiative, when respondents were asked how confident they would feel performing CPR on someone they did not know using the CPRWrap™, 20% said they would feel “very confident”, compared with 13% when asked about giving CPR without the product. Overall confidence (those saying they were either ‘somewhat’ or ‘very confident’) increased from 43% to 67% in the same research. This reflects increased self-reported confidence in a survey context, not clinical performance outcomes.

Q8. When does the programme launch and how can businesses participate?

The programme launches in February 2026. Breweries and pub operators interested in participating can find more information and register their interest at www.cprwrapuk.com.

Q9. Who is funding the programme?

Project Rosie is delivered by CPRWrap EU and supported by industry bodies (BBPA, BII, UKH). Specific funding and participation models will be communicated directly to participating organisations.

Q10. What will success look like?

Success will be measured through training uptake, geographic coverage, staff engagement, and increased confidence to respond in emergency situations. Longer-term ambition is to contribute to improved community readiness, earlier intervention during cardiac emergencies and ultimately higher survival rates from cardiac arrest.

Media contacts:

Naomi Fielding, Commercial Director, CPRWrap Europe naomi@cprwrapeu.com / +447904 626046

Anna Edwards, Communications Manager, BBPA , aedwards@beerandpub.com

Molly Davis, Head of Communications, BII, molly.davis@bii.org

Sam Ette – Head of Communications, UKHospitality, sette@ukhospitality.org.uk

Third-party news items are published as received for informational purposes. Publication does not imply endorsement by the Guild. Please use the contact details within the post for any enquiries.