KNUTSFORD Community First Responders Trust is celebrating another ‘phenomenal’ year, which included membership growth and the group’s first Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) screening day.

Made up entirely of volunteers, KCFRT also picked up three awards over the past 12 months – completing a national, regional and local award hat-trick.

Celebrating the achievements at their annual meeting on Monday, chairman Adrian Rees – who is stepping down after completing his three year term – said the trust was going from strength to strength.

He told members: “It’s been a real privilege, and a very humbling experience, in being your chairman over the last three years.

“As I stated at the beginning of last year’s annual meeting, KCFRT is a charitable trust.

“It can only exist by both the generosity of our many volunteers in giving their time and commitment and the generous donations of both small business and literally thousands of individual contributors in our community. Both have been provided in significant amounts throughout the year.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for enabling KCFRT to provide a year of exceptional service to our community “I said this time last year that KCFRT had another exceptional year – I’m running out of superlatives to describe this last year!”

In October, volunteers raised enough money to screen 104 people aged 16 to 35 for underlying heart conditions through CRY. This year will see two further screening days.

That same month, the trust scooped Heart Safe’s national Special Recognition Award, before the first responders team was awarded the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) CardiacSmart Gold Award in December.

Last month, at the annual Knutsford Town Council awards, KCFRT received the community award – a reward for the 293 emergency callouts attended over the past year.

In the same period, 413 people were trained by the trust through the BHF Heartstart course – 268 in Knutsford and the remainder at a Wythenshawe satellite operation.

The trust also funds defibrillators in Knutsford and the surrounding area.

Visit knutsfordfirstresponders.org.uk for more information.