Freemasons have raised £3,390 to buy equipment for St John Ambulance.

Martin Blackburn, master of Conister Lodge of Freemasons, is pictured presenting a cheque to Gerry Jones of the first-aid group.

The money has bought a battery-operated Raizer chair (pictured in the foreground) for use by the St John Ambulance community first responders (CFRs)

The money was raised by Conister Lodge members through a variety of social activities including a ’night at the races’ and tombola during Mr Blackburn’s term in the chair of Conister Lodge.

It was given in memory of a long-serving member of the lodge, Ken Allison, who died shortly after celebrating his 50th anniversary in Freemasonry.

The Raizer chair enables a solo responder to safety lift from the floor to a sitting position a patient weighing up to 25 stones.

The chair has already been put into use by the team Douglas-based CFRs who assist the island’s emergency services.

One of the volunteers is Ken’s granddaughter, Jenni Hazell, who with together her husband Neil, provides cover in the evenings and at weekends, carrying on the caring tradition.

Ken was, for more than 10 years, the lodge’s almoner (official distributor of alms) responsible for looking after the welfare of the lodge members and their dependants.

CFRs are volunteers who can be first on the scene when someone falls seriously ill.

They come from all walks of life, having replied to appeals for volunteers by St John Ambulance and the ambulance and paramedic service.

Their basic training takes place over two weekends, CFRs are trained in life-saving by St John Ambulance.

They are dispatched at the same time as an ambulance, via the emergency services’ joint control room, to attend 999 calls.

These can include cardiac arrest, diabetic emergency, an unconscious patient, a patient with breathing difficulties and a patient who has had a seizure.

Gerry Jones, CFR co-ordinator, said more sponsorship and donations would be welcome.

’Each CFR kit costs in the region of £2,500 to purchase,’ he said. ’Last year, CFRs covered more than 18,000 hours on call and assisted the ambulance service by attending more than 450 calls.

’The calls we attend may require little medical intervention, where we simply offer reassurance while awaiting the ambulance crew, or can lead to us initiating cardio pulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation in advance of the ambulance arriving and then further assisting the paramedic during a full cardiac arrest.

’We are extremely grateful for the volunteers, who give up so much of their time and effort - and sometimes encounter distressing situations - in serving the community and allowing us to build the scheme.’