Volunteers at the St John Ambulance unit in Whittlesey are to benefit from a donation of £500 from local plastic mouldings manufacturer RGE Group.

Cambs Times: Donation to Whittlesey branch of St John Ambulance L-R - Ken Simmons (SJA) Kieran Tharme (RGE) Pauline Richards (SJA)Donation to Whittlesey branch of St John Ambulance L-R - Ken Simmons (SJA) Kieran Tharme (RGE) Pauline Richards (SJA) (Image: Archant)

The money will be put towards new equipment to ensure that the unit can continue to provide life saving first aid in the local community.

Richard Appleton, production manager at RGE Group in Whittlesey, said: “We knew that we wanted to donate the proceeds to St John Ambulance in the town.

“Not only are they local, but they have been very supportive over the years in the training of all first aiders we have on site.

The funds were raised through an ice bucket challenge undertaken by the site’s former operations manager, Kieran Tharme, after he was promoted to UK head of operations.

The funds were raised by everybody at RGE Whittlesey and its sister site at Godmanchester and were collected by Jackie Edwards, one of the company’s first aiders.

Pauline Richards, St John Ambulance’s Whittlesey unit manager, who received the cheque on behalf of the charity today, added: “We’re so grateful to all our friends at RGE Group for this wonderful donation. Our life savers will benefit directly from this and will continue to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved in and around Whittlesey.”