Lifesaving volunteers in Rhayader have received two substantial grants to help improve their vital services in the region.

The St John Ambulance Cymru Responders received generous funds to complete 4x4 off road driving training, enabling them to safely and confidently reach patients in remote locations.

The first aid charity have expressed their thanks to the joint funders; Rhayader Town Council and the Ashley Family Foundation, for their generous support.

The Rhayader Responders work as on-call volunteers across the local area.

Calls are triaged from the ambulance service and volunteers are notified of local emergencies. Volunteers are highly trained in assessing the situation and delivering the appropriate treatment, and often do so before the emergency services have arrived. In rural communities where emergency services’ response can take a little longer, this prompt care can save lives.

Rhayader ambulance
The funding will help improve the work the charity does in mid Wales (St John's Ambulance)

The St John Ambulance Cymru Responders are called out to emergencies at any time, day or night, in all weather conditions and reaching some areas can be a real challenge.

The 4x4 off-road driving training was delivered to six volunteers, giving them the confidence to travel through some these more challenging terrains to reach patients in need.

This training was partly thanks to the Rhayader Town Council’s Bryn Tili Trust Fund.

The council uses donations from the Bryn Titli Wind Farm to allocate grants to projects that benefit the local community.

Rhys Thomas, Mayor, and Chair of Rhayader Town Council commented: “The St John Ambulance Cymru Responder Team provide a vital service to our community; the Council were delighted to offer financial support for this important initiative and hope the training received has increased the team’s confidence and ability to respond to incidents in difficult terrain, which is so important in this rural community.”

The project was also partly funded by the Ashley Family Foundation, an organisation which supports a broad range of community and social welfare projects in both England and Wales, especially those in rural communities.

“St John Ambulance Cymru would like to extend our thanks to Rhayader Town Council and the Ashley Family Foundation for their much needed support. Their donations has enabled our lifesaving volunteers to continue to be there, when they are needed most by the local community,” said Nichola Couceiro, Head of Fundraising, Communications and Engagement at the charity.

St John Ambulance Cymru volunteers work tirelessly to ensure communities across Wales are kept as safe as possible.

Their work is especially vital in rural communities such as Rhayader. To find out more about their work, click here.