Solihull’s local FastAid emergency response service, run entirely by volunteers, has received a welcome funding boost thanks to a £2,000 donation from the Churchill Foundation.
The charity was put forward for a donation by Churchill Lodge Manager Nick Morrey who volunteers for FastAid in his spare time, when he’s not busy managing Churchill’s St Francis Lodge development on Cornyx Lane in Solihull.
Nick was able to make the request through the Churchill Foundation’s Small Grants programme, which enables Colleagues from across the Churchill Group to nominate causes that mean a lot to them for potential one-off grants of up to £2,000.
FastAid Birmingham & Solihull is a team of volunteer Community First Responders (CFRs) working closely with the West Midlands Ambulance Service to provide an additional resource when responding to life-threatening 999 calls. Dealing with cases in the local area, the team is able to arrive before ambulance crews and provide CPR, defibrillation and other life saving care as well as promoting recovery before a crew arrives.
The charity’s Chairman Simon Moss and fellow volunteer Joanne Lockley joined Nick for a special cheque presentation at St Francis Lodge recently. Simon said: “We are very grateful for this donation which will help to keep our small fleet of emergency support vehicles running, and cover the ongoing costs of equipment, uniforms and training for the vital service we deliver to people in the local area.”
Churchill’s Lodge Manager Nick Morrey added: “As a FastAid volunteer myself I was delighted that the Churchill Foundation agreed to award this donation to support the excellent work that my fellow volunteers do locally. It really means a lot to me, and it’s a great example of how the Churchill Foundation helps Colleagues like myself to give something back to the communities where we work.”