On Sunday 11th October hundreds of people will be raising money for local charities and organisations by getting sponsored and walking or running 5K, 10K or 20K. 

I am fundraising for a Nailsea based charity - SARAID CRT Community Resilience Team. 

The SARAID Avon Community Resilience Team is a trained group of volunteers drawn from all sections of our diverse community. Our members have a wide range of backgrounds and skill sets but each team member shares a common purpose - to assist their wider community if called upon in times of need. As we liaise with and assist First Responders, team members are trained by all three of the main emergency services and have a good understanding of command & control at incidents and what would be expected of them. 

Examples of CRT's deployments include working with the RLSS to help deliver the water safety message 'Don't Drink and Drown' and to patrol sections of the Bristol Harbour and Bath River on peak party nights to ensure intoxicated people are directed away from walking near the water. 

During the recent lockdown, CRT was deployed to perform Vulnerable Person Checks throughout April and May. A total of 14 volunteers worked hundreds of hours to ensure that vulnerable people had the help and support they needed, taking action to help where necessary.

Another deployment during the peak of the pandemic was to assist Bristol Water distribute water to the public following a major burst water main. Volunteers efficiently coordinated the public, ensuring that social distancing was adhered to with CRT additionally on standby to assist vulnerable members of the community struggling to access the resources.

I am proud to volunteer for the Community Resilience Team and have already used my First Aid training to help a teenager that fell of their bike and sustained a facial injury. My training immediately kicked in and I was able to confidently provide the help they needed. 

Thank you for your support.