Extraordinary Sussex fund raising effort pays for a new ambulance

New ambulance for St John SUS-200727-132019001

The ‘Sussex Ambulance Appeal’ was launched in June 2019 at an inaugural fundraising lunch hosted by St John Ambulance County President Caroline Lucas.

Over the last year and with a fundraising committee in place, various activities drove the appeal forward.

The health and first aid charity, which has been actively supporting the NHS on the frontline in Sussex during the COVID-19 pandemic, received several donations, including: £20,000 from the Sussex Masonic Charities; £8000 from local fundraising by the Southwick St John unit; £700 from Littlehampton St John unit’s open day; and, £1,000 from a raffle.

A second fundraising lunch was planned for this month but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many attendees donated their ticket money to the appeal; the response was over-whelming and donations kept coming in until the target of £105,000 was met.

To celebrate the achievements of all those who supported the appeal, a ‘virtual lunch’ was held earlier this month.

Speaking at the event, Caroline Lucas, from St John Ambulance, said: “I would like to thank the wonderful team who have supported this appeal – all the volunteers, the units, and those who have chosen to donate such generous sums of money - it’s been absolutely incredible.”

And, Martin Houghton-Brown, CEO of St John Ambulance, added: “I must pay tribute to Caroline and her fundraising committee – largely for their enthusiasm and energy, and not letting up in their efforts to achieve their goal. It’s an incredible achievement to have reached this fundraising total in such a short amount of time.”

The ambulance, which is a new design for St John, will be delivered in January and has many benefits, including being a lighter model, enabling anyone with a normal driving licence to drive the vehicle, reducing training costs for the charity.

The design of the 3.5 tonne box body ambulance will enable it to be used across both St John’s emergency response and first aid event work. Its interior offers a larger working space, making it possible to operate as a multi-functional vehicle, including carrying bariatric patients.

Caroline added: “It’s my belief that many were inspired to donate to St John after hearing about our wonderful volunteers and their incredible work, right here in the heart of our community, during the pandemic. They continue to inspire us all as they volunteer day in, day out, supporting the NHS at The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and The Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. They have helped us to get ‘over the line’ in this fundraising appeal and I’d like to thank them and everyone who made this huge achievement possible.”

For more information on St John Ambulance, including how to make a donation, volunteering opportunities, and details of training for the public, schools and businesses, visit www.sja.org.uk.