St John team due to head to Gambia on life-saving mission

By Jess Stevenson

A team from the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service will be taking and donating two ambulances to Africa. Left to right, Laura Spratt, Dominic Fletcher, Dave Bichard and Steve Torode. Also going, but not present for the picture, are Tim Hitchon and Alex Dunster. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0674000)

COUNTLESS lives in Africa will be saved thanks to volunteers from St John Ambulance and Rescue Service in Guernsey.

Six staff will travel to Gambia next Friday to deliver two retired ambulances and a wealth of equipment to set up a sustainable ambulance service there.

The team will drive the vehicles to Bassa Santa Su, one of the most deprived regions in Gambia.

Ambulance practitioner Steve Torode, who will be going on the trip, said the group had managed to raise £16,000, which enabled it to buy the vehicles and finance the running costs for two years.

‘It has been lots of hard work, but we want to say thanks to everyone, because they’ve all been fantastic,’ said Mr Torode.

At present, many patients in the region are forced to rely on horse and donkey karts to get them to hospital, but they are often beyond help when they arrive.

The founder of the Bangsang Hospital Appeal, Anita Smith, said that many needless deaths could be prevented. The group will also be donating two Honda motorbikes, an ex RNLI D-class lifeboat, five defibrillators and other medical supplies.

Mr Torode will be taking it in turns with the other five volunteers to drive the 4,000-mile, two-week journey.

‘I have a five-week-old baby. I will probably get more sleep away than I do at home,’ he said.

Volunteers Laura Spratt, Dominic Fletcher, Dave Bichard, Alex Dunster and Tim Hitchon will be driving in three-hour shifts. They will set off from Guernsey next Friday. The journey will take them through France, Spain, and across the Mediterranean to Morocco, Western Sahara and Senegal to reach Gambia.

n Anyone who would like to donate old tents for the journey can contact Steve on 07781153366.jstevenson@guernsey-press.com

Article posted on 20th November, 2008 - 11.30am