LIFESAVING volunteers operating in a Powys town have received two substantial grants to help them improve the vital services they provide.
The St John Ambulance Cymru First Responders in Rhayader received generous funds to complete 4x4 off road driving training, enabling them to safely and confidently reach patients in remote locations.
The first aid charity have expressed their thanks to joint funders, Rhayader Town Council and the Ashley Family Foundation, for their generous support.
The Rhayader First Responders work as on-call volunteers throughout the town and surrounding area, and provide a lifeline for local residents.
Calls are triaged from the ambulance service and volunteers are notified of local emergencies. They are highly trained in assessing the situation and delivering the appropriate treatment, and often do so before the emergency services have arrived.
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In rural communities where emergency services’ response can take a little longer, this prompt care is even more vital and often saves lives.
This training was provided partly thanks to £1,000 from Rhayader Town Council’s Bryn Titli Wind Farm Trust fund. The council uses donations from the trust to allocate grants to projects that benefit the local community.
Another grant was provided by the Ashley Family Foundation, an organisation which supports a broad range of community and social welfare projects in both England and Wales, especially those in rural communities.
Rhys Thomas, Rhayader mayor, said: “The St John Ambulance Cymru First Responder team provide a vital service to our community.
“The council were delighted to offer financial support for this important initiative and hope the training received has increased the team’s confidence and ability to respond to incidents in difficult terrain, which is so important in this rural community."
The Rhayader First Responders are called out to emergencies at any time, day or night, in all weather conditions, and reaching some areas in the remote Powys wilderness can be a real challenge.
The 4x4 off-road driving training was delivered to six volunteers, giving them the confidence to travel through some of this challenging terrain to reach patients in need.
“St John Ambulance Cymru would like to extend our thanks to Rhayader Town Council and the Ashley Family Foundation for their much-needed support,” said Nichola Couceiro, head of fundraising at the charity.
“Their donations has enabled our lifesaving volunteers to continue to be there, when they are needed most by the local community.”
St John Ambulance Cymru volunteers work tirelessly to ensure communities across Wales are kept as safe as possible.
Their work is especially vital in rural communities such as Rhayader. To find out more about that work, visit www.sjacymru.org.uk.
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