Buckie Wildcat First Responders urge Scotmid customers to back their fundraising bid
A team of life-saving volunteers are seeking public support that could see them win thousands of pounds for new equipment.
Buckie Wildcat Community First Responders, which is staffed entirely by volunteers, aim to keep people suffering from cardiac arrests alive until the paramedics arrive, although since becoming Community First Responders this remit has widened. They operate under the auspices of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The team are hoping they will top a poll of Scotmid members which could see them end up with a total of £6000.
Lorna Cameron, from the Wildcats, said: “Scotmid are running a contest across Scotland, which has been divided up into four regions, and we’ve been shortlisted as one of the six finalists for the North Region.
“Between July 1-31 Scotmid card holders will be asked if they want to cast a vote for open of the six finalists when they use their card in a Scotmid store. If we come top we’ll get £5000.
“If we don’t get that, we’ll receive £1000 for making the final shortlist.
“If we win the North Region we’ll be invited to the Scotmid AGM next year and get the chance to state our case along with the other regional winners - if we win that we get another £5000.
“The £5000 would allow us to buy a range of equipment, including an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) for a new start set to join our team soon. We’re also looking to buy a gazebo which we can take to a range of events, such as this year’s Buckie Classic Car Show, which would allow us to run demonstrations of some of the things we do and to raise awareness.
However, the Scotmid contest is not just about the money.
Lorna continued: “While winning the money would obviously be great, this is as much about raising awareness of what we do and learning skills such as CPR.
“We’ll be going out and about to Scotmid stores in the area to promote what we do to their customers.
“Hopefully, it might persuade some of them to vote for us!”
A Scotmid membership card costs just £1 and brings with it a number of exclusive benefits - to sign up, visit https://scotmid.coop/membership/application-form/
The kit the Wildcats use has to be up to the same standard as that deployed by the Scottish Ambulance Service - something which can add quite considerably to the price tag. The kit bags the team use on their own weigh in at £500 or so, with another £2000 on top of that to completely fill them with life-saving equipment.
In addition to being to call to answer emergencies, the Wildcats are also keen to visit community groups, workplaces and other organisations to promote and teach CPR.
The Wildcats cover an area stretching roughly of roughly 200 square miles, ranging approximately from Mosstodloch in the west through to Sandend in the east and down to Keith in the south.
To find out more about becoming a Community First Responder or joining the Wildcats’ fundraising team, visit the team’s Facebook page.
