Mallow/Charleville Red Cross get €50k grant for purchase of a new ambulance

THE Mallow/Charleville branch of the Red Cross has been allocated €50,000 to help cover the cost of purchasing their first custom built ambulance in their 80-year history.

The branch is among 30 first responder groups in rural areas across the country that will share in a €567,000 funding windfall under the 2019 CLÁR programme.

Speaking to The Corkman, branch chair David O’Sullivan said the money would cover approximately half of the cost of the new ambulance, with the rest of the money being made up through collections, donations and fundraising events.

It will be a welcome addition to their existing fleet of two road ambulances, three 4x4 ambulance vehicles, a specialist 4x4 vehicle for bad weather incidents and mini-bus. All of these are now kept at their new base located behind the swimming pool in Mallow, which became operational 12 months ago at a cost of around €410,000.

Prior to this being built, the branch was forced to store their life-saving equipment outdoors in the garden of a branch member, with volunteers having to sometimes jump start their vehicles to get to emergency call outs. This had raised concerns about security and the operational capability of the branch.

Mr O’Sullivan said the new base becoming operational had been a key factor in securing the funding towards the cost of the new €100,000 ambulance.

“In addition to covering Mallow, Charleville and their hinterlands, we also cover scheduled events across Cork city and county, and the midwest, in addition to assisting in bad weather events in places like Kerry,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

“As people can see, we have a large coverage area so this CLÁR funding is most welcome as it will allow us put in place additional supports. Up to now we have had to buy second-hand vehicles and this will allow us to buy our first custom built one, which is a huge boost for the branch,” he added.

Mr O’Sullivan was keen to thank Cllr John Paul O’Shea for his “continued support” in helping to secure the funding.

Cllr O’Shea said he was delighted the funding had been allocated to the Mallow/Charleville branch for the new ambulance.

“It will be of great assistance in their life-saving work across North Cork and their wider coverage area,” he said.