Dear Editor

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Mick Shepard of 3 The Leys Oxhill. I came here to live with Barbara Peach last July.

For many years Barbara and I have been involved in Motor Sport, which is where we have acquired our First Aid experience. We currently have the same qualifications, which are First Aid at Work, Emergency Aid, Appointed Persons, NHS Oxygen and Entonox. We also are trained in extricating injured persons from cars and the use of spinal extrication devices eg, collars and Keds.

We have recently completed a Defribulator course and, in association with Warwickshire Ambulance Service, hope to be able to offer a First Responder Service at some time in the future. The First Responder Service is set up to try to improve the chance of survival if someone suffers a Heart Attack, by getting a trained person with a Defribulator to them as quickly as possible. In rural areas like this it could take an Ambulance 30 to 40 minutes to arrive. This is where the First Responder would be able to attend more quickly and provide life saving treatment and care until the ambulance arrives. This is particularly important as when a person has suffered a heart attack and they have stopped breathing there is only a matter of a few minutes in which it is possible to try restarting the heart before oxygen starvation to the brain has taken place. Although we have a lot of First Aid Kit we do not yet have a defribulator, which costs about £2500 plus.

I will be writing to you when I have further information.

Should anyone like to contact me they can ring me, email or even come and visit me in the evenings.

Telephone: 07976298228 email: viper@viperrecovery.co.uk

If anyone is in need of general First Aid help and we are available then we would certainly do our best to oblige.