PRESS RELEASE Herefordshire Heartstart – 20 Year Celebration
At the beginning of January 2016 Herefordshire Heartstart reached 20 years of teaching people how to save a life.
On the 13th June the charity held their AGM and combined this with a 20 year celebration, to mark the occasion.
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Some of the volunteers at the Herefordshire Heartstart 20 year celebration
Present volunteers, including Trustees, Committee members, instructors and course helpers were invited, along with a few retired Trustees.
The evening was made all the more memorable with the appearance of a special guest The Countess of Darnley JP. Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire, who became the Charity’s Patron in 2015. It was a huge honour and a pleasure to have Lady Darnley at the celebration, her presence and kind words were greatly appreciated by all.
Following the AGM, Lady Darnley kindly gave a speech and made a special presentation of certificates and sponsored commemorative badges to all volunteers. Additional sponsored gifts were also presented to several volunteers by Lady Darnley:-
A large hamper was presented to longstanding Trustee Dr John Ballance, Chairman/Medical Director, who was instrumental in setting up the charity and has been with Herefordshire Heartstart since it began in 1996. Dr Ballance will shortly be retiring from these roles and the charity are looking for a new Chairman. The charity are delighted that Dr Ballance has agreed to stay on as a Trustee and has now been given the title of President.
A similar Heartstart group had been started four years earlier by Dr Ballance, together with the late Trustee and retired paramedic Tony Powell, along with members of the ambulance service/health authority, including retired Trustee Julian Reeves. Thanks were given to Dr Ballance for his valuable work for the charity.
Lady Darnley said “she was delighted to be asked to become the patron. She was very pleased to be attending her first AGM, and it was a bonus that this coincided with the 20th anniversary and was therefore an important occasion for the charity.”
“She had heard about the wonderful volunteers and committee members, but stressed that there was always a need for more. She congratulated Loraine Coleman and her family for their efforts. She had heard a lot to be encouraged by.”
“From just one year the charity has trained over 1,000 people in the community and over 4,000 school children each year receive training. Over 22,000 have been trained in the community and over 30,000 schoolchildren since the charity began. This is an amazing achievement and an outstanding reputation.”
In closing, Lady Darnley congratulated “all for their commitment. Herefordshire is a better place to live as a result of what you do. She praised the strong leadership from Dr Ballance for 20 years of dedication and sheer hard work. He should be proud of the enormous amount of work achieved by training thousands of people and saving many lives. Lady Darnley thanked Dr Ballance on behalf of the people of Herefordshire for a very worthwhile job very well done, and for laying such a firm foundation.”
A bouquet of flowers was then presented to Jayne Jenkins, Community Training Supervisor, who has the important role of training the volunteers as Instructors. Jayne will now take on the responsibility of Medical Director.
Lady Darnley presenting a bouquet to Jayne Jenkins, Community Training Supervisor
A hamper was also presented to Dave Landey as a thank you for his good work as treasurer. Mr Landey has now decided to step down and hand over the role. A new treasurer is now urgently needed.
A separate presentation was made to Lady Darnley of a beautiful bouquet of flowers, along with a certificate and commemorative badge for supporting the charity.
All of the items given out were donated or sponsored by local businesses. Following the AGM and presentations, a party followed for everyone attending with delicious food and drinks generously donated by local businesses, who had all been keen to support the charity.
Herefordshire Heartstart would like to thank the following businesses for making the evening such a wonderful occasion. The celebration was greatly enjoyed by all.
Thank you to Diane Rogers and all staff at Kidwells Law for the generous use of their beautiful premises, cups of tea and for all their help before and after the event. Their support helped to make it such a success.
Thanks also to Maggie Taylor and Grahame Penny Owners of Whitney on Wye Toll Bridge, for generously sponsoring a gorgeous commemorative badge to celebrate 20 years of Herefordshire Heartstart.
The gorgeous commemorative badge, to celebrate 20 years of Herefordshire Heartstart. Sponsored by Maggie Taylor and Grahame Penny Owners of Whitney on Wye Toll Bridge
Additional thanks must go to the following businesses who made the party possible and enabled the volunteers to have a proper celebration and to all businesses for either sponsoring or donating goods for the event:-
To the Co-op, College Road, Hereford for sponsoring a large selection of tasty food for the celebration.
To the Co-op, Holme Lacy Road, Hereford for additional nibbles/cakes.
Kidwells House for tasty cakes. Heineken/Bulmers (ciders for hampers/volunteer gifts), Mannings Juices (delicious apple juices), Pixley Berries (tasty blackcurrant cordials), the Hibiscus Room (bouquet), Morrisons Hereford (vouchers for gifts/hampers/additional food).
If you can help the charity by volunteering, fundraising, donating to keep this vital service running or to book onto a course, please contact:-
Mrs Loraine Coleman, Co-ordinator/Project Manager on 01432 850067 or email herefordshireheartstart@btconnect.com or you can write to Herefordshire Heartstart, PO Box 305, HEREFORD HR1 9JD
To find details of free public courses in Herefordshire, visit www.herefordshireheartstart.org
Notes to Editor:
Herefordshire Heartstart is a voluntary organisation, established in 1996, to teach the people of Herefordshire, Emergency Life Support (ELS) skills. These skills are the actions needed to help keep someone alive until professional help arrives.
Additional sponsorship information:-
Kidwells Law Solicitors Limited, Kidwells House, 4 Coldnose Road, Rotherwas Industrial Estate, Hereford HR2 6JL – for providing the venue, tea and cake for this year’s meeting.
Kidwells House, 5-13 Newtown Road, HEREFORD HR4 9LH – for providing cake for the celebration.
Co-op, College Road, Hereford – for providing a wide selection of food for the celebration.
Co-op, Holme Lacy Road, Hereford – for additional nibbles.
Heineken/Bulmers – for providing ciders. (To go in special hampers to be presented this evening and individual bottles to give to the volunteers attending the event.)
Mannings Juices, Edwyn Ralph, Near Bromyard, Herefordshire – for providing tasty juice for refreshments.
Morrisons, Hereford – for providing vouchers which were used to purchase items to make up hampers, flowers for thank you gifts, and additional food items.
Pixley Berries, Ledbury – for providing delicious blackcurrant cordials for hampers/ refreshments.
The Hibiscus Room – for providing a bouquet presented to Lady Darnley.
Ends
Written by Loraine Coleman, Co-ordinator/Project Manager
Email: herefordshireheartstart@btconnect.com
Tel: 01432 850067
Website: www.herefordshireheartstart.org
Twitter:- @HeartStart_HFD
Facebook:- Herefordshire Heartstart
Herefordshire Heartstart Registered Charity No 1082309
Patron The Countess of Darnley JP. Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire
27/6/15 10.25am