FUND-RAISERS in Tywyn painted the town pink when they raised money for their local Community First Responders.

On Saturday, 20 February, scores of people packed the town’s Neuadd Pendre for a night of fun and fund-raising for the invaluable services of Dysynni Community First Responders, a group of trained volunteers who give their free time to support the Welsh Ambulance service by receiving notification of emergency calls and attending the patient within minutes.

The event raised nearly £2,000 which will be put towards potentially life-saving medical equipment.

The community hall played host to Pink tribute artist Kyra Porter, AKA ‘Almost Pink’, performing to a sell out audience, plus local DJ and town councillor Mark Kendall getting the dancers on their feet with a disco.

A raffle and auction also took place during the evening with prizes kindly donated by numerous local businesses which the organisers profusely extended their thanks to.

Winners received a “fabulous” variety of prizes, such as vouchers for hair and beauty, the Talyllyn Railway, a photo shoot, shopping, meals, ice cream, cakes, spa day, an MOT, cinema treats and even a giant Easter egg.

The Community First Responders team was established in August of last year and have over 120 call outs during more than 6,200 volunteered hours of duty.

The crucial service provides almost immediate, potentially lifesaving aid while paramedics are en-route to the scene, sometimes from long distances.

The night was hailed as a great success with a crowd who did not want the party to end and a good deal of money raised for the cause.

Dysynni Community First Responder team member and organiser of the event, Helen Evans said; “A grand total raised is £1,943! Thank you all for your support, it’s much appreciated.

“We thank all local businesses from the bottom of our hearts.

“A big thank-you should also go to Wendy’s News, Mark Hughes and Tywyn Floral Centre and Gwen Jenkins for selling tickets for us.”

Towards the end of the night, the medical team’s coordinator Gareth Mason spoke on behalf of the community first responders and event attendees to thank Helen for her efforts.

“Helen organised the whole event and deserves a lot of credit for an amazing night,” he said.

“Helen has dedicated more than 2000 hours, since August 2015, on call and ready to respond to any emergency call.

“She is a huge credit to her community”.