Wednesday 20th January 2016 – 9am – Chris Kowalik.
Volunteer lifesavers in Shrewsbury ‘rank’ this donation as one of the best ever.
The town’s Community First Responders are ‘hailing’ a local taxi company for their donation of a free car.
‘Go carz’ have given them a 58-plate Vauxhall Astra 1.3 diesel estate to respond to local medical emergencies while a blue-light ambulance is en-route.
Picture: West Midlands Ambulance Service
The donation of the liveried car came about through the involvement of an employee of the company who is the husband of one of the volunteers.
Community First Responder Danielle Rowark said: “My other half works for ‘Go carz’ as a Driver Manager. I asked him to have a word. He spoke to the owner who was more than happy to help. When Steve explained what the CFRs were all about he thought it was a great idea.
“I’m really happy, it’s so impressive what they have done in getting the car ready. It looks fantastic. It’ll certainly make people look when we go past and maybe it’ll raise more awareness of Community First Responders.”
Cindy Wilday, ‘Go carz’ Area Director, said: “We found out that the Community First Responders were using their own cars for emergencies. It was proposed to us that maybe we could donate a car. We were really happy and excited to be involved with the project and really pleased at the outcome.
“We execute about 15-20,000 journeys a week; taking people to hospital appointments, X-ray appointments and job interviews. We are very grateful that they use us and we appreciate their custom. It’s nice to put something back into the community. We’re not just saying that, we actually do mean it.”
Pictured left-to-right:
Michelle Bunyan (Shrewsbury CFR), Emily Edwards (‘Go carz’ Driver Manager Assistant), Steve Hughes (‘Go carz’ Driver Manager), Danielle Rowark (Shrewsbury CFR). Picture: West Midlands Ambulance Service
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Shrewsbury Community First Responders is a registered charity (Reg No 1158418) operating in the Shrewsbury area of Shropshire. The volunteers are trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service to a nationally recognised standard. They may be called upon to provide immediate initial treatment to a patient nearby while an ambulance is en-route. For more information about Shrewsbury Community First Responders, visit www.shrewsburycfr.org.uk
For more information about ‘Go carz’ visit www.gocarz.co.uk/