At Potters, we’ve always believed that when we come together, incredible things can happen. And at the start of 2026, the Potters community proved exactly that.
As part of our Every Second Counts campaign to raise £50,000 for Norfolk Accident Rescue Service (NARS) and BASICS Essex, guests, team members and the wider Potters community laced up their walking shoes, jumped on exercise bikes, hit the treadmill and braved the winter chill outdoors.
Those efforts were all with one shared goal. To complete a combined 3,500-mile challenge — the same area covered by these two extraordinary emergency response charities.
Those miles weren’t just numbers on a tracker — every single mile meant £1 to both NARS and BASICS Essex. Both are volunteer-led organisations delivering critical pre-hospital emergency care across our local communities.
By the end of February, the Potters community had entered an incredible 4,088.66 miles. A remarkable show of dedication and generosity that translated into meaningful financial support for these life-saving charities.
The culmination of your efforts
This week, the campaign reached its proud conclusion with the presentation of two cheques for £4,088.66 each. One to NARS at their headquarters in Dereham, and one to BASICS Essex at their HQ in Chelmsford.
From left to right: Steve Maddams and Rose Jackson-Nichols from NARS, Chris Tipping and Milly Webster from Potters Resorts Hopton-on-SeaRepresenting Hopton-on-Sea at NARS were Chris Tipping and Milly Webster from the Marketing Team. Meanwhile, representing Five Lakes at BASICS were Naomi Esser from Tech Crew and Zoe Lawson from the Leisure Team. Between them, this quartet contributed more than 80 times to the campaign, totalling almost 350 miles towards the goal.
From left to right: Zoe Lawson and Naomi Esser from Potters Resorts Five Lakes, and Paul Gates from BASICS EssexTheir visits offered a powerful insight into how the funds will be used. They were shown around the charities’ headquarters, their rapid-response vehicles, and the specialist medical equipment carried on every call-out. From advanced trauma kits and defibrillators to airway management equipment and critical care supplies, the scale of what these highly-trained volunteers deliver is nothing short of extraordinary.
Seeing is believing
NARS and BASICS Essex operate 365 days a year, providing enhanced pre-hospital emergency care at the scene of serious incidents, from road traffic collisions to cardiac arrests. Their volunteer doctors and paramedics work alongside the ambulance service, bringing hospital-level expertise in scenarios where every second truly counts.
Seeing the vehicles up close — fully equipped mobile treatment units ready to deploy at a moment’s notice — brought home exactly why campaigns like this matter. The funds that will continue to be raised through Every Second Counts will directly support the purchase and maintenance of the life-saving equipment these teams rely on daily.
But perhaps most inspiring of all was the sense of shared purpose that ran through the entire challenge. Team members clocking up miles before shifts, guests adding steps during breaks or logging distances from across the UK. This was a community effort in every sense.
A huge thank you goes to everyone who entered miles, spread the word and helped raise awareness of the vital work NARS and BASICS Essex do.
Naomi and Zoe saw firsthand some of the life-saving and diagnostic equipment used by BASICS Essex when responding to emergenciesAnd congratulations to Corinne Crane, who not only contributed over 100 miles to the campaign, but was also randomly selected to win a free break at Potters Resorts.
While this challenge may be complete, the message behind Every Second Counts continues. Because when emergencies happen, these charities are ready. And thanks to the incredible efforts of the Potters community, they’re now even better equipped to save lives when it matters most.
Together, we made every mile count!
If you’d like to donate directly to our Every Second Counts campaign, tap the button below or look out for the tombola on your next break!
