New car for Leominster's first responders (From Hereford Times)

New car for Leominster's first responders

8:00am Friday 12th March 2010 in

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Leominster’S first responders have been presented with a car to help them carry out their work.

The volunteers, who are trained to help save people’s lives, usually use their own vehicles when called to emergencies by the West Midlands Ambulance Service.

But if their car is not free there can be a delay in reaching patients so the exclusive use of a new car should help to overcome this problem.

Leominster MP Bill Wiggin advised the group to make a bid to the Evesham Charitable Trust, of which he is a trustee, for cash to buy the car.

Once bought, local firms in Leominster rallied round to get it on the road.

Bengry Motors offered to maintain the car, while neighbours Sign It helped to make it easily recognisable.

First Responders do not replace the ambulance service but can often get to an incident first and give skilled support until the ambulance staff arrive.

They are not funded, time is given voluntarily and money to buy equipment, uniform and a vehicle has to be raised through fund-raising events or donations.

Currently, First Responders in the Leominster area use mobile phones but the West Midlands Ambulance Service is fitting communications and satellite navigation equipment into the new vehicle.

Picture: Bill Wiggin MP presents the keys to the Leominster First Responders (front, from left) Bill Thorne, Carol Thorne and Robin Smith. Watching behind are (from left) Viv Melia, managing director of Bengry Motors, Councillor Pauline Davies, Jo Briggs, service manager at Bengry Motors, and John Pilliner and Terry Presley, of Sign It.