Oakham's Mayor announced that she will be supporting the Rutland Community First Responders this year, and the fund-raising got off to a good start at The Party in the Park last weekend.

Each year, the mayor selects a charity to support, and the funds raised at the charitable events held throughout the year will go to the chosen organisation or group.

Last year, following her first term as the Mayor of Oakham, Cllr Wadsworth handed over a cheque for £1,438 to the Rutland Girl Guides.

This year, Cllr Sally-Anne Wadsworth has chosen to support Rutland Community First Responders.

The first fund-raising efforts took place on Sunday at the Party in the Park, at which over £200 was raised for the First Responders by a local duo who ran a tombola.

Mayor and Chair of Oakham Town Council, Sally-Anne Wadsworth, said: "I would like to say a big thank you to Julie Lowe and her granddaughter for running a tombola stall last Sunday at the Party in the Park and raising £223 for the Mayor's charity."

Last year, Cllr Sally-Anne Wadsworth handed over £1,400 to Rutland's Girl Guides. Image credit: OTC.

The Rutland Community First Responders are volunteers who give their time freely to help save lives in their community.

Responders are everyday members of the general public who are trained in the use of Automated External Defibrillators and the treatment and control of a wide range of potentially life threatening conditions.

First Responders provide support to the regular Ambulance Service by attending serious and life threatening 999 calls in and around the community to provide the earliest possible intervention for patients in the first few minutes until the arrival of an ambulance.

Dealing with cases in the local area, the team are able to arrive before ambulance crews and provide defibrillation and other life-saving care as well as promoting recovery before a crew arrives.

They are completely self-funded, and it costs approximately £2,500 to equip each member of the team. As such, without the generous support of the community, they could not operate.

This is why support from local officials as well as members of the public is so important for the group.

You can find out more about the work they do and donate to the First Responders here.

Sally-Anne litter picking at the music events in Cutts Close in 2022. Image credit: Nub News.