10:36am Friday 16th May 2008
By James Beal
ST John Ambulance is launching a £600,000 fundraising drive to build its new county headquarters near Bridgwater.
The Taunton-based charity will start Campaign Somerset tonight (Tuesday), to help raise the massive sum needed to construct a headquarters and training centre at Woodlands Court, in Dunball, just off Junction 23 of the M5.
The prestigious multi-purpose centre will provide four large training rooms with smaller syndicate rooms, plus a large conference facility to seat around 200 people, available for community events.
Michael Ross, chairman of council for St John Ambulance Somerset, told the Mercury how important the move was for the charity.
He said: "St John Ambulance is the largest first aid and related training organisation in the country.
"We have seen numbers of students grow over the last few years and have needed a state of the art training facility with plenty of parking and rest and recreation facilities for some time.
"We've been very happy at our current address in Taunton but really we've outgrown it.
"The new building will also house our county HQ, be the home for our Sedgemoor division and provide the substantial garaging required for our ambulances."
St John will still have a presence at its Taunton division and it is anticipated that there will also be training courses run at the premises in conjunction with the new centre.
Mr Ross added: "As the second largest youth organisation in the country with numbers of younger members increasing and the number of duties where our volunteers provide first aid cover growing, it is vital we have an appropriate facility to house the principal training and operational centre for the county."
Campaign Somerset will launch tonight at Bentons in the Isleport Business Park, Highbridge, at 6pm.
For further information on the appeal call 01823-345920 or click on the link below.
www.somerset.sja.org.uk.
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