Scotmid have put the wheels in motion to assist St Andrew’s First Aid’s cycle squad with a £15,000 donation – helping the charity to purchase 15 new bikes.
The charity, which provides highly trained first aiders at thousands of events across the country each year, will now add to its two-wheeled response team which will help to save lives in local communities throughout Scotland.
The latest donation follows a £75,000 donation from Scotmid to the charity in 2015, to be spent over a three-year period and continues a charity partnership which spans several years.
This assistance will provide 15 new bikes for St Andrew’s along with new uniforms, safety equipment and video cameras to assist with recording incidents for training purposes.
St Andrew’s First Aid has ambitions to grow its cycle squad over the coming years and to have teams in place throughout Scotland, helping to respond more quickly to incidents and to deliver first aid to anyone, who needs it.
Currently there are 23 cycles operating in the Glasgow area and the charity has a target of having 50 bikes in operation, which will be located in the East, Central, South West and North of the country.
Training is already underway for volunteers who have shown an interest in joining the squad. To date, 13 individuals have undergone cycle proficiency and equipment training, which will ensure that they are fully competent and ready to play a vital role as a member of the successful cycle team. Further training courses are planned for May to meet the demand and aim to train over 30 volunteers.
Stuart Callison, Chief Executive of St Andrew’s First Aid, said: “The continued support from Scotmid remains truly valuable in our dedication to provide Scotland with the highest levels of trained first aiders. It is also supporting our ambition to further grow our reach through the delivery of such resources as the cycle squad.
“Scotmid’s sponsorship has already helped us deliver a number of benefits for the people of Scotland and we remain greatly appreciative of their involvement.”
John Brodie, Chief Executive of Scotmid Co-operative, said: “This boost to the cycle squad will help speed up response times to incidents attended by St. Andrew’s volunteers, particularly in areas that may be hard for an ambulance to reach. This could be the difference between life and death.
“St Andrew’s First Aid provides a vital service to Scotland and, as a co-operative organisation, part of our ethos at Scotmid is to look at how and where we can support charities like them and help boost the valuable services they are delivering in their local communities.”