Kells order of malta open day this saturday

The Kells Corps of the Order of Malta is inviting the public and local organisations to visit its public open day at Farrell Street Kells this Saturday from 1pm to 5pm.
For over 75 years, the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps has been one of Ireland’s largest voluntary organisations north and south of the border and the Kells Corp has had a fully operational base in the middle of Kells for the last five years,    
Officer in Charge at Kells, Collette Lynch who has over 20 years’ experience explained, “Sometimes, even the most basic first aid training can save a life. We saw on the news last week, how a six year old girl carried out CPR on her friend’s grandmother and saved her life; basic skills the young girl had learned from her father.
“As local volunteers ourselves, we are very proud to offer first class first aid training to all members of the community, and also in our provision of an ambulance service and first aid teams for many local events.
“We get absolutely no state funding, but in Kells, we’re on hand for everything from the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade to the Moynalty Steam Thrashing, and special events such as the Special Olympics or any local fundraising events. We also provide basic and specialised transportation to and from hospital appointments and medical treatment for many local patients and senior citizens and also organise annual pilgrimages to Knock and Lourdes,” she said.
There are over 40 volunteers in Kells ncluding unior and youth cadets, starting at ten years of age.
Ms Lynch said they would really love the opportunity to show how they support the health and well-being of their own community.
“We offer a full range of first aid courses for groups and individuals, carried out at our own fully equipped training rooms or at any premises; and at our fully operational response base we’ll be presenting various scenarios requiring everything from basic first aid treatment, to ambulance emergency response intervention.
“When the need arises, so many people wish they’d done a first aid course and we’ll be giving a range of talks and showing first aid techniques which form part of our training courses.”
The cadets will give demonstrations on CPR and first aid treatment for bleeds, breaks, sprains and strains and a range of common injuries.
“The Order has nearly 4,000 members volunteering their time to provide first-aid medical services at national and local community events, training in life-saving skills and delivering community care initiatives throughout the country and we have much to offer the community of Kells,” she concluded.