Stronsay lads pull out the stops for community fundraiser

Howard and Zander McQuaid, from Stronsay, smashed both their time and fundraising target during a log pull to raise money for repair work to the community’s First Responder antenna.

They achieved five miles with a 28kg log (it gained a kilo when they left it out in the rain!) in 1 hour 31 minutes. The donations are still coming in but are over £730 – well over their £500 target.

Fellow islander, Roger Neville-Smith, accompanied the young lads on the route and managed to capture some lovely photos along the way.

Mum, Louise, said: “Special thanks to Roger for staying with them the whole way and getting some awesome pictures. Thank you to everyone who supported and donated.”

Cooke Aquaculture had already made a donation towards the repair bill and Howard, 11, and Zander 9, from Stronsay Junior High School, wanted to cover the outstanding amount.

The antenna, which enables First Responders on the island to be contacted no matter where they are, was damaged in a winter storm.

Community First Responders are volunteers who are trained by the Scottish Ambulance Service to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. Their aim is to reach a potential life-threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew or a Dr or nurse arrives.