WALTON NEWS

We are reminded that the autumn is here by the brilliant colours in the woods, and particularly by the old oak in the Gog Bridge field which has turned an almost vulgar shade of orange. Sometimes, though, it has been hard to believe that it's not still summer, for example when on November 1st I was able to eat my lunch out of doors, when the roses keep flowering and although it is November 7th there is still a picking of raspberries every day. In the flower bed at the front of the house the geraniums and begonias are still in full bloom although normally by this time the Sweet Williams would have been planted out and the surplus sold at the Christmas Fair. All the same, Brian's strong looking wall-flower plants were as usual much in demand as well as the Chinese Lanterns which have become a permanent feature. The watermill barn always lends itself to the occasion and we welcomed back many stall-holders who come back year after year, as well as some new ones. It was a mild sunny day and the rain kept off until the evening – for once everyone felt warm. Many thanks to the team which rallied round to put up the marquee and managed to hammer the tent pegs into the hard ground, as well as the ladies in the kitchen and on the raffle, to the Hollises who help us out on so many occasions and to Ken and Mary of course – what would we do without them?

WELLESBOURNE COMMUNITY
FIRST RESPONDERS

What is a Community First Responder?

First Responders are people who live in the community which they serve; they are retained on a voluntary basis by the West Midlands Ambulance service and are dispatched to areas of their community where people have suffered trauma or a sudden life-threatening illness. The First Responder is trained by the West Midlands Ambulance Service to a nationally accredited qualification to give Emergency Life Saving treatment until the Emergency ambulance resource arrives on scene. The First Responder does not replace the Ambulance Service resource, but bridges the gap between the 999 call and the arrival of the Ambulance Service.

The importance of your Community First Responder?

In many illnesses or injury the first few minutes are crucial and simple interventions can be performed in order to SAVE LIVES or PREVENT DISABILITY.

In the UK 135,000 people die each year due to sudden Cardiac Arrest. 80% of these deaths happen outside of the hospital environment. 85% of Cardiac Arrests are a result of a sudden disruption to the electrical conductivity system of the heart called Ventricular Fibrillation (VF). VF is treatable by early access to CPR and the use of a Defibrillator.

The sooner a defibrillator is used the better chance the patient has of surviving. After a patient has collapsed, every minute that a defibrillator is not used the chance of survival reduces by 7-10%. This is where your Community First Responder can save lives.

They are also trained to deal with:

• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Choking
• Diabetic emergencies
• Traumatic emergencies.

A Community First Response scheme can only be successful if the people in the community which it serves supports it by volunteering, or making a donation to its upkeep. Any amount of financial support will be gratefully received no matter how small and the money will be used solely to purchase new equipment and support the scheme. At the moment Wellesbourne has a very small nucleus of new CFR's led by an able young lady and we would welcome more volunteers.

If you would like more information or an application pack then please contact our CFR Admin unit on 01743 273649, or arrange to have a hot chocolate/coffee with your local group.

Parish Council News