Auchterarder community firefighters raise over £600 for local causes

Mar 30 2012 by Clare Damodaran, Strathearn Herald

Auchterarder's Community firefighters

COMMUNITY firefighters from Auchterarder Fire Station presented local fundraisers with donations to their causes last week.

The new First Response service in the Lang Toon, the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS), St Margaret’s in Auchterarder and Lisa Mackie, who is raising money to fund volunteer work in Tanzania this summer, were all the lucky recipients of cheques for £150 each.

The money was raised at the annual Auchterarder Fire Station dance, held in the Aytoun Hall at the start of the month. Firefighters and their families and friends bought tickets for the dance and raffle prizes were donated by local businesses. Over £600 was raised in total and the decision was taken to divide the money up between four deserving causes in the area.

Crew manager Stevie Cooper, and his son Stephen, who is also a community firefighter, both volunteer for the recently established First Response team and were keen to support the fundraising efforts for the service. First Responder Sandra Pirie’s daughter Rachel collected the cheque.

Speaking to the Herald later, Sandra said: “This is a very generous donation which will go towards the ongoing running costs of this vital service for the Auchterarder and district community and we are very grateful to the local fire service for thinking of us.”

Auchterarder teenager Lisa was delighted with the donation to her efforts to raise money for a trip to Africa to teach English to kids.

Lisa, who flies out at the end of June, said: “In Tanzania children in primary schools only learn in Swahili, their native language, but when they go to the larger secondary schools they are taught in English. We will be going out to teach English to children in primary schools to prepare them for going up to the bigger school.

“We will also be helping to build a community centre while we are out there, so I need to start practising my painting skills, and educating people about malaria.

“I am really grateful to the community firefighters for this donation. The fundraising has been going really well and everyone has been amazing, really generous.”

The community firefighters delivered the cheques to CHAS and St Margaret’s.