A COMMUNITY First Responders team is set to receive a significant donation from Barmouth Town Council.

Last month, Barmouth Town Council received a letter from the Barmouth First Responders claiming their equipment was no longer fit for purpose.

The team, which was set up 12 years ago and frequently tends to casualties throughout the area, has been using “ageing” equipment to help victims but now need new items to continue providing their vital service.

After the First Responders asked for financial help, the town council agreed to pay over £3,000 to fund new equipment. The money is to be taken out of the car park fees, where a percentage of every parking ticket in a Gwynedd Council car park goes directly to the town council for community projects.

A letter from Glyn Jones, a Barmouth First Responder, was put before the local council.

It read: “Unfortunately our responder funds are no longer sufficient to replace all of our aging equipment and we have now been told that our last two defibrillators will no longer be supported by the Welsh Ambulance Service and will now be decommissioned as and when replacements are sourced.”

The first aid team then promised to locate the old defibrillators in the Barmouth community as they are still serviceable machines.

“We are therefore approaching the town council with cap in hand asking whether you would be in a position to possibly help our team continue our hard work in assisting purchasing two replacement defibrillators and three kit bags,” the letter continued.

The defibrillator units each cost £1,134 and each kit bag cost £263.94 (including VAT), amounting to £3,059.82.

Generously, the town council has agreed to pay the whole sum for the life-saving equipment.

Cllr Trevor Roberts proposed the notion which was accepted by the whole council.

“They make the effort and so should we,” he said. I propose we pay the full amount. We should be grateful these good people are prepared to do the work and let’s just hope it’s not one of us that is in need of the machines.”