Young people receive certificates from Ghana
20 January 2012
A FORMER Cambridgeshire fire engine is now saving lives in Ghana thanks to the efforts of young people from Huntingdon.
This week, the young people people who raised £1,600 to pay for the engine to be shipped across to the West African country received personal certificates from the Vice-President of Ghana to thank them for their efforts.
The former Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service 4x4 Mercedes rescue vehicle, containing specialist cutting equipment, hose reels and firefighter uniforms arrived in Ghana last year and has already saved countless lives on its roads.
Young people from the Youth Advisory Committee at Huntingdon Youth Centre approached Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) after hearing a talk by one of its firefighters Trevor Lindsay about conditions at the Ghana National Fire Service. The young people said they were very moved by the talk and wanted to do all they could to help.
Trevor had visited firefighters in Ghana earlier that year as part of a training exercise set up by the UK World Rescue Organisation in conjunction with the World Rescue Organisation. He told them about the difficulties that firefighters faced in Ghana, due to lack of equipment and how amputation is commonplace following road traffic collisions, as many firefighters have no other way of getting casualties out of their vehicles.
After CFRS agreed to donate one of its old rescue vehicles, the young people raised the money over the course of a year by holding a variety of charity events, including sponsored bag packs at Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose and Iceland supermarkets, organising a jumble sale and a car boot sale, holding collection tins in Huntingdon town centre and setting up a donation website for the appeal. Through this they raised a grand total of £1,660.61.
The young people involved in fundraising were: Daniel Bevan, Lee Newton, Martin Eaves, Eric Walker, Bronte Dyne, Nicole Liddiard, Connie Liddiard, Darren Brett, Joley Dignan, Iona Twinn and Jeanine Bennett. All were aged between 16 and 18 at the start of the project.
Trevor Lindsay, said: "The young people should be proud of their achievements. They gave up their time and worked hard to raise the funds for the good of others. This was a very enjoyable project, benefiting all concerned. The rescue vehicle was presented to the Damongo Fire Service who for so many years have been without a vehicle. The Ghanaian firefighters in this region are now using this vehicle and the equipment donated to them, which is helping them save many lives. I'm sure that this equipment will be serving the Ghanaian people for many years to come."
Kevin James, Community Fire Safety Officer at Huntingdon Fire Station, who supported the young people during their fundraising said: "Here we have a group of young people who are an absolute credit to the people of Huntingdon, the youth centre and themselves. They should be very proud of themselves."
Chris Strickland, Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "This is a great achievement in which a group of young people from Cambridgeshire have made a real difference to the lives of people in another country."
