A RENOWNED comic who collapsed on stage following a cardiac arrest is supporting a lifesaving campaign.
Actor, TV presenter and broadcaster Ted Robbins is urging people to help save a charity facing closure if it does not recruit more volunteers.
The star, perhaps best known for his role as Den Perry in Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, will be hosting a recruitment event early next year.
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Knutsford Community First Responder Trust (KCFRT) responds to 999 calls.
The charity works alongside North West Ambulance Service.
Their trained community first responders attend an average of 300 callouts every year, arriving first on the scene of an emergency in more than 80 per cent of cases.
A team of 12 full trained responders is required to provide emergency cover across any given week.
However, as a result of the Covid pandemic, there are now only two active volunteers.
The charity urgently needs new volunteers who can spare just four hours a week of their time.
Adrian Rees, chairman of KCFRT, said: “We are thrilled that Ted will be joining our recruitment event to both entertain us and support us in appealing for new volunteers.
“We can only continue to provide this vital, lifesaving service if we have sufficient fully trained First Responders.
“Without new recruits, the trust faces withdrawing its lifesaving services from the town and risking the safety and lives of our local community.
“Working as a First Responder is an extremely rewarding experience.
“I would urge everyone to come to our recruitment event to find out how they can get involved.”
It was on the opening night of the Phoenix Nights Live tour at the Manchester Arena in 2015, that Ted suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on stage.
Having made a full recovery and grateful to the medics who saved him, he is now keen to help raise awareness of cardiovascular disease.
The Liverpool-born actor, now 68, will be hosting a recruitment event on Friday, February 2, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the Courthouse Hotel.
For an initial chat about becoming a volunteer, call Adrian Rees on 07501 128571, email adyrees@yahoo.co.uk or visit kcfrt.org.uk
The trust was one of the first of its kind in the UK to set up an emergency team of local residents to preserve life and promote recovery, when an ambulance is not immediately available.
Since the late founder Terry Mitchell launched the charity in 2002, trained volunteers have attended more than 6,000 emergency calls.
Volunteers are welcome from all walks of life to become First Responders and require no prior experience.
Comprehensive training will be provided from North West Ambulance Service to the level and ability required.
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