Dromara Vintage and Classic Club vehicle run raises £2,000 for Slieve Croob Community First Responders

Brian McGrillen, chairman of the Dromara Vintage and Classic Club, presented a cheque for £2,000 to representatives of the group at an informal ceremony in Finnis.

The money was raised at a tractor and vintage vehicle run organised by the Club in early June.

That success of the event, he explained, was due to the cooperation and support of many individuals and organisations including Mr David McKay (Community Champion at Tesco's Banbridge) for the donation of a voucher, the priest and parishioners for the use of the car park at St Michael's Church, and Mr Robert Lennon and his motorcycle team who provided marshalling and outrider services during the day.

He also thanked Mr Brian King for the use of his field as an assembly point and all the members of the Vintage Club, the volunteers who worked so hard on the day but most of all the vehicle owners and members of the public who had reacted so generously to the project.

Vintage Club member Mr Griff Morrow formally welcomed the Slieve Croob Community First Responders and referred to the "great work" they did saving lives within the local community.

The group's chairperson Mrs Loretta Gribben thanked the Club for their donation and said she was "completely blown away" by their generosity.

She explained that the Slieve Croob First Responders was a triumph born out of tragedy.

When her husband Seamus died at the age of 57 from a heart attack in their home it had taken an ambulance four hours to reach the scene and she decided something had to be done in an effort to prevent such a tragedy happening again.

Mrs Gribben said she was "very honoured to lead the organisation" and felt "so blessed and lucky" to have 25 excellent volunteers as Responders.

Handing over the cheque Mr McGrillen said: "We are delighted to present this cheque to the Slieve Croob First Responders - a group of volunteers who, at a moment's notice, day or night, respond to medical emergencies to help people in their local community."

Winners of the ballot on the day of the tractor run were - Fia O'Hare, Gary McKay and Aidan Gilmore.