Wetton & Alstonefield Community First Responders

 We have provided an emergency medical response to our local community in the Peak District National Park since 1999.  In 2009 we received a Chief Officer’s Commendation from West Midlands Ambulance Service for 10 years of exemplary service.

As a registered charity and staffed entirely by volunteers, we rely completely on donations to continue our work. Each year we need about £7000 to continue providing emergency medical care.

We  are  always  in  need  of  new  volunteers.   If  you  would  like  to  make  a  donation  or  want  to  find out about becoming a First  Responder,  please  contact  our  Co-ordinator,  Sally Stickland on 01538 304116  or  visit  our  website www.wacfr.org

 January 2015-WACFR celebrates its 15th anniversary!

The Izaak Walton Hotel provided a lovely setting on 17th January for the celebration of a wonderful achievement – 15 years of providing an emergency response service in our local communities!

Fifty eight people attended the celebration dinner, including Roger Thane who provided the initial inspiration for setting up rural Community First Responder groups across Staffordshire. WACFR was the first of those groups – we set the standards and led the way!

Many of the guests were past or present responders, and also a number of our paramedic colleagues attended, some of whom had started out with WACFR and gone on to join the (Staffordshire) ambulance service.

We all raised a glass to Brian Ross, a dedicated CFR, remembered with gratitude for all he did for WACFR and the community, and on the day it would have been his birthday.

During the evening, Matt Heward, Community Response Manager for West Midlands Ambulance Service, along with Sally Stickland and Nicky Drummond WACFR joint Co-ordinators, presented a Heartstart Defibrillator to the management team at the Izaak Walton Hotel.

John Clarke, a constant stalwart figure in our midst, addressed the gathering, as did Roger Thane, both reminding us of how it had all began, what was possible then and what could be possible in the future.

It was a truly memorable evening, with much reminiscing and recollections of various experiences along the way, and really wonderful to see so many familiar faces.

Well done WACFR!