Wanted – community reserve volunteers
A new report published by the British Red Cross and Aviva shows that the majority of people in Perth and Kinross want to help if disaster strikes in their community but would not know what to do.
The report‘When Crisis Hits: mobilising kindness in our communities’reveals that almost nine in ten people across the Tayside region say that if an emergency happened in their community they would want to get involved – but only 40 per cent would know what to do if a disaster struck. Those who enjoy the great outdoors must know what to do in an emergency
The British Red Cross, in partnership with Aviva, is calling on people to sign up to a new scheme called community reserve volunteers to help create a national network of people ready to help in a local emergency.
Andy New (49), from Bridge of Earn used to live in Forteviot which was regularly flooded by the Tay.
Andy works as a project team manager in IT and in his spare time is a qualified coach in outdoor recreation and is a mountain bike instructor.
He said:“I already have first-aid-at -work training from the British Red Cross and I also have outdoor first training and mental health first aid experience, so the community response volunteers looked like a great opportunity to help others if there was ever a need.
“My employer Aviva advertised it on our intranet. I just clicked the links and watched a short video - it was really easy.
“Before I came to Scotland, I lived in Norfolk which is just too flat. So I came to Perthshire as I just love being outdoors in the countryside.
“I used to spend my two weeks’ summer holidays in Scotland and loved it so much I moved here two-and-a-half years ago.
“It means that I can now spend 52 weeks a year in the hills. Being an outdoors person, it means you have to be practical. I’m there ready to help others to be practical taking into account people’s skill levels.
“I used to work with ex-services charities including Help for Heroes using my mental health first aid training to help soldiers through PTSD,.
“So I’m looking forward to being involved when the Red Cross gives me a call.“
To learn more about the British Red Cross’Community Reserve Volunteer scheme with Aviva and how to sign up, visit: redcross.org.uk/reserves