Fundraising & Development 2024-25
During 2024 we have continued to develop our equipment and vehicles – purchasing new equipment and repairing others. Thus, ensuring we can provide a high-quality service as we see demand for our services rise.
We have purchased additional defibrillators allowing us to provide multiple devices to be deployed at larger events. In spring 2024 we started a Summer Raffle which raised £3,600:00 allowing us to fit mobile radios in all of our vehicles and our treatment units. This gives us additional range as we undertake more long distance running and horse events. The radios were purchased from and fitted by National Radio Bank from Bourne in August. We have use NRB for our radios for many years – they also added additional channels and upgraded our handsets. Communications are key in enabling us to respond quickly to incidents.
We have also replaced older SP02 and blood pressure monitors and increased the number of these devices. Our First Aid Centre on Newark Showground that we purchased for £135,000 and opened in 2022 remains in pristine condition. We have serviced all of the equipment within the structure and have added additional signage.
As demand for our services continue to grow, we are planning to purchase a new Mobile Treatment Unit / Event Ambulance in 2025. We have held some initial discussions with BVS who are the main dealer for Baus Ambulance Conversions. Baus are a Polish company that produce a high specification front line ambulance based on a Renault van. We currently have two such vehicles purchased in 2017 and 2020. At the Emergency Services Show in September 2024 at the NEC we were able to view the latest Baus design, look around and discuss the purchase with the BVS team. We are planning to launch a fundraising campaign in January 2025 – the quote for a new vehicle is £71,000:00 plus £20,000:00 for additional equipment. We hope to have the vehicle join our fleet in mid-2025.
If you would like to fundraise or make a donation towards our new vehicle please contact us – email: newarkcommunityfirstaiders@hotmail.com
With a steady increase in global warming clearly affecting weather patterns and hotter summers forecast we have trialled a new summer uniform this year. We hope to roll this out to all our volunteers in late spring 2025.
Later in 2025 we are looking towards increasing our resilience by looking at more power generation and storage equipment. Looking at renewable energy sources such as solar panels and battery storage.
