THE Malvern division of the St John Ambulance service is celebrating after raising £1,000.
The cash, which will be used to buy essential equipment such as bandages, was donated during collections outside Waitrose on Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1, last year.
The source of income has proved vital after nearly all last year's shows at The Three Counties Showground, where the division collects most of its money, were cancelled due to the foot-and-mouth epidemic.
"We would like to say thank you to people who dug deep into their pockets before Christmas," said St John Ambulance divisional superintendent Lorraine Odell.
Ambulances
The Malvern division, which depends entirely on donations and receives no financial help from its central body, is now facing the daunting prospect of raising cash to replace its ambulances.
At present it has two, but only one is equipped for use off-road.
The charity's central body has decided its entire fleet should be upgraded to meet new safety standards agreed by most European countries during the 1990s.
However, the Malvern division will not have to find the £60,000 per vehicle to buy new ones, as it will continue with its policy of buying second-hand stock from the National Health Service.
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