North East Wales Search & Rescue awarded £1000 for new defibrillators

A search and rescue team based in north east Wales are celebrating after being awarded a grant of £1,000 for new defibrillators.

NEWSAR (North East Wales Search & Rescue) in Denbighshire have received the grant as part of rural energy provider Calor’s annual funding scheme.

The aim of the Calor Rural Community Fund is to give off-grid communities the chance to gain grants for projects that will improve local life. With a total fund of £50,000, this year the scheme offered funding for 21 different projects, with prize pots ranging from £1,000 up to £5,000.

NEWSAR volunteers go to the aid of casualties in danger of cardiac arrest due to medical issues or traumatic injury in semi-rural, remote, or dangerous places across North East Wales. The Calor grant will be used to purchase defibrillators for NEWSAR team members to use when they are first on scene delivering life-saving treatment at the request of North Wales Police.

Gill Brailsford, volunteer & fundraising officer from North East Wales Search & Rescue said: “Time is critical in our line of work. Quick application of CPR along with the use of a defibrillator will dramatically improve a casualty’s chance of survival.

“NEWSAR is on-call 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, yet we receive virtually no government funding and are almost entirely funded by public donations. That’s why Calor’s generosity in awarding us this grant has been so well received as it means we can provide immediate life-saving treatment to those in a critical condition.”

Paul Blacklock, Calor’s corporate affairs manager added: “As a rural energy provider, we understand that country living can be challenging and access to community facilities can be especially difficult.

“We set up the Calor Rural Community Fund to be able to give something back to these rural communities, and this year we were inundated by a number of deserving projects. We’re delighted to award North East Wales Search & Rescue with £1,000 to fund new defibrillators for its team members to use when they are first on scene of an emergency.

“This year’s scheme was so successful we plan to relaunch it again in 2019, so keep an eye out on our website and social media channels for updates as we hope to be funding more fantastic projects near you!”

For further information, please visit the Calor website. You can also find about more about NEWSAR and the work it does on its website.