£15,000 Freemason donations help fund new lifesaving ambulance for Mid and West Wales

Generous donations from the Masonic Province for West Wales and the Masonic Charitable Foundation have helped St John Ambulance Cymru purchase a new ambulance vehicle to support its lifesaving work in the communities of Mid and West Wales and at large scale national events.

An urgent ambulance appeal was launched after one of the charity’s ambulances was destroyed by a falling tree during a storm last year. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but the incident left a gap in the charity’s services.

The Masonic Province for West Wales, a group committed to charitable giving, kindly donated a generous £7,500 to the appeal and this was matched by the Masonic Charitable Foundation for England and Wales, one of the largest grant-making organisations in the country.

St John Ambulance Cymru’s Head of Fundraising, Communications and Engagement, Nichola Couceiro said: “A new fully equipped ambulance costs more than £80,000 but as well as being expensive to replace, losing a vehicle so suddenly created additional challenges for our teams, especially given the rural nature of the Mid and West Wales region.

“With the help of the Gosling Foundation, general public and groups such as the Freemasons, St John Ambulance Cymru can now replace the damaged vehicle and continue with our lifesaving work in this region and beyond. A huge thanks to all that contributed to this appeal to help us get back on the road. Diolch!”

James Ross, Head of the Masonic Province for West Wales, commented, “We are very proud to be able to support St John Ambulance Cymru. A new ambulance will help them with their potentially lifesaving work at events right across West Wales. They are a huge asset to our community.”

James Cordell, Deputy Commissioner for Dyfed and Nichola Couceiro Head of Fundraising, Communications and Engagement visited the Tenby Masonic Hall on 10th November to give a presentation to the Richard Warburton Lodge of Education and Research, detailing the different ways St John Ambulance Cymru serves Wales’ communities.

The £180 raised during the evening’s raffle was also donated to the first aid charity, along with two boxes of ‘Teddies for Loving Care’ for use across West Wales, with the Freemasons having donated a total of 3.5 million teddies to A&E departments and Air Ambulances in England and Wales as part of this scheme.

St John Ambulance Cymru supports the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust across the country, running vital healthcare initiatives like the Falls and Frailty Scheme along with various patient transport services. The charity provides a gold standard of patient care, its services reduce ambulance wait times and importantly eases pressure from the NHS. St John Ambulance Cymru volunteers also respond to emergencies during peak times and provide first aid at hundreds of events in the communities of Wales. This work saves lives and protects members of the community who are most in-need.

You can find out more about St John Ambulance Cymru’s work by visiting www.sjacymru.org.uk.