Mold based Search & Rescue team awarded £1,000 for new defibrillators

North East Wales Search & Rescue are celebrating after being awarded a grant of £1,000 for new defibrillators, as part of rural energy provider Calor’s annual funding scheme.

The Mold based volunteer Search and Rescue team operates in North East Wales mainly covering the counties of Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham and parts of Conwy and Powys.

The team also regularly assist Mountain Rescue teams across North Wales as well as Lowland Search and Rescue teams in Cheshire and Shropshire.

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.

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.

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 www.calor.co.uk/communityfund.