Fundraising Update!

Following our hugely successful show 'Celebrate! 1975-2015' at The Waterside Theatre last year, we are immensely proud to announce that our donation of £1500 to Aylesbury First Responders has helped them to purchase and kit out a brand new Response Vehicle. And to say thank you they've even gone and put our SDSD logo on it!

We asked Peter Cooper, Aylesbury Area Joint Coordinator, to tell us about the work they do.

"Community First Responders (CFR's) are volunteers who are recruited and trained by the South Central Ambulance Service. They work from home and are available to be deployed by the Ambulance Emergency Operations Centre to anyone who suffers a sudden life threatening medical condition. It has been established that victims of heart attack, stroke, serious bleeding, breathing difficulties etc will only enjoy a good medical result if they receive skilled attention within a few minutes of falling ill. Each CFR is equipped with a full emergency intervention kit that includes oxygen therapy equipment and a defibrillator for use in cardiac arrest situations. CFR's are available to the Emergency Operations Centre to be deployed to incidents in their community so that the patient receives immediate attention and stabilisation before an ambulance arrives. CFR's are now in place all over the South Central Ambulance region and form a vital link in emergency care for all members of our community. CFR's are under the direct control of the Ambulance Service but are funded by public donation and fund raising organised by the CFR's themselves through the South Central Ambulance Service Charitable Trust.

Aylesbury has a small dedicated group of first responders that maintain emergency ambulance cover for Aylesbury town and adjacent villages. In order to provide the community with the best possible care, the group has raised sufficient funds to buy a fully marked responder car, complete with the latest communications and appropriate medical equipment. Thanks to the generosity of many members of the public and in particular to major funders such as The Susan Diane School of Dance, the new car is now in day to day service."

Well done again to all the students and staff who took part in the show and helped to make it such a fantastic success!