FOWNHOPE Flower Club presented Dr Katie White from the Mercia Accident Rescue Services (MARS) with a generous donation having raised funds for the local charity.

MARS is a charitable organisation made up of highly skilled and dedicated doctors, nurses and paramedics who are specially trained to give emergency and life saving care to critically ill patients before they reach hospital.

These patients may be victims of major trauma, perhaps in the case of serious road traffic collisions or industrial accidents or drowning incidents, or other medical emergencies.

In the last 12 months the four doctors based in Hereford were active at over 100 scenes.

These dedicated men and women are not paid. They have full time jobs in other areas of medicine and all have families. They respond from home on blue lights to support West Midlands Ambulance Service in providing advanced medical care at the scene and facilitating direct transfer to specialist hospitals.

Specialist medical equipment, flights suits (MARS responders will often fly with their patients to hospital or major trauma centres), blue light driver training and vehicle equipment all cost significant amounts of money.

Because of this it is only possible to continue to run this vital service due to the generosity of donors. The charity would like to thank Fownhope Flower Club for their fantastic fundraising efforts.