One evening, my 2 year old daughter had a seizure. My wife called 999, but we knew it would be a while before an ambulance arrived at our rural location. However, within minutes, a Community First Responder knocked at the door and we were able to start treating her.  

  Stanford First Responders were quite excellent. They arrived extremely quickly, took charge of events calmly, and worked seamlessly with the ambulance crew to speed the transfer to the JR. Just superb. The Blackwells.  

  A thousand thanks for coming to my aid on White Horse Hill. For your calm competence and quiet reassurance, I’m profoundly grateful. RJ, Oxford – June 2011.  

These are statements made by just three of the 300 people who have been helped by Stanford's volunteer Community First Responder (CFR) team since December 2008.

The Ambulance Service despatches the team when someone has a life-threatening illness. The team has three fully equipped kits that cost £1,700 each. We provide a near 24/7 service for Stanford and the surrounding villages. The kits are supplied by the League of Friends (LoF), which is a charity. We would like to raise money to give back to the LoF so that it can buy more kits for CFRs in other communities. We are grateful to the many local organisations and individuals who have donated money to support us in our work.

If you would like more details about Community First Responders or would like to make a donation to support the work of the team, please contact the South Central Ambulance Service Community Responder Liaison Officer, Ian Jones, on 07791 561998 or ian.jones@scas.nhs.uk

Stanford's CFRs are Michele Avenell, Les Harding and Justin Riggs. Please note - CFRs can only respond if directed to do so by the ambulance service. Therefore, in an emergency, always dial 999.