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Red Cross appeal is piece work . . .
WHAT a wheelie good idea!
Crisis response charity the Red Cross wants to station an ambulance in Sheffield for the first time - and is calling on city folk to help build it piece by piece.
The charity has broken down the 65,000 costs of the vehicle and specialist equipment and launched a drive to raise funds for each part.
The cheapest item is a bag and oxygen mask for 8.93. A wheel is 250, a heart starter or defibrillator machine is 1,575, and the vehicle itself, before modifications and equipment are installed, is 15,000.
The ambulance is needed urgently to help the Red Cross respond to vital medical transfers, provide first aid cover at events, and transport patients to and from hospitals across South Yorkshire.
There is currently only one Red Cross ambulance in Yorkshire, based in Leeds. The Sheffield vehicle would be based at the Red Cross offices on Brightside Lane, Brightside.
Students and staff at Oakwood Technology College in Rotherham were first off the mark with offers of help. Teachers at the college on Moorgate Road are planning a sponsored skydive in September.
Headteacher David Naisbitt said: "Students and staff are delighted to be involved with a multi-national charity at a local level. It is great to see ordinary young people and adults making an extraordinary effort for this valuable appeal."
The campaign will run throughout the year.
Red Cross fundraising manager Sally Cater said: "We are trying to get as many schools, businesses, community groups and individuals involved as possible.
"We can help people come up with fundraising ideas and have the tools to turn those ideas into cash."
Everyone who donates to the appeal will be invited to the launch of the vehicle and have their names placed on a Roll of Honour which will be kept onboard.
The British Red Cross is part of a global voluntary network which responds to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. It enables people in the UK to prepare for, withstand, and recover from emergencies.
Email Sally at scater@redcross.org.uk or call 0114 242 7379 to make a donation or to discuss fundraising ideas.
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
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