SAS and St John Scotland partnership to Benefit Trotternish Peninsula in Skye

The kit will enable group members in the Trotternish peninsula to respond to potentially life-threatening emergencies, such as a cardiac arrest or seizure in the vital first few minutes before an ambulance crew arrives.

The Skye CFR group, which was recently boosted by a new recruit who will also cover the Trotternish peninsula, currently has 11 members. The group covers Trotternish, as well as, Dunvegan/Struan, Edinbane, Glendale, Portree, and Sleat.

SAS currently has over 900 CFRs, largely based in rural communities. Their aim is to reach a potential life-threatening emergency in the vital first few minutes before an ambulance crew arrives. 

St John Scotland will continue to work with SAS to offer financial assistance to various existing, and new, CFR schemes around the country, supporting six groups with life-saving kits every year. In return, the Skye CFR Group will support St John Scotland with their CPR and defibrillator training and awareness sessions in the area.

Stephen Blakely, Chair, St John Scotland, said:

“The Trotternish peninsula is vast and during the busy tourist period, getting to patients can take a while. This additional kitbag, along with the newly qualified SAS Community First Responder, will help to reduce response times. This will be a great additional asset to help serve the local Skye residents and visiting tourists during their time of need.”

Michael Dickson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “Our partnership with St John Scotland provides fantastic support to SAS Community First Responder groups across the country and I would like to extend our thanks to them for their donation of the new kit bag. Our CFRs are a vital link in the chain of survival for local communities and it is great to see St John Scotland supporting them.”

If you are interested in joining the Skye group, please visit here for more information.