A Ramsey man is tackling his first Parish Walk to raise money for St John Ambulance’s Community First Responders, having been touched by the death of a colleague and by the amazing story of footballer Fabrice Muamba.
 
Phil Brown, 45, a software developer, hopes to finish the Manx Telecom-sponsored 85-mile event on June 23/24.
 
Phil and his partner, Natalie Bennett, fulfilled a new year’s resolution in joining St John Ambulance last year via its pathway unit, which offers introductory training to new recruits, and they are now first aiders with Ramsey division.
 
As bike race marshals, the couple had attended a course with the Island’s leading life-saving charity and witnessed its good work at first hand.
 
Phil said that while tackling the walk was primarily a ‘personal challenge’, when it came to choosing who to raise money for, the Community First Responders (CFRs) were the obvious choice.
 
CFRs are trained by St John Ambulance and despatched by the Isle of Man Ambulance and Paramedic Service to people who fall ill in rural areas, often arriving before an emergency crew and saving vital minutes with treatment and information-gathering.
 
There are 40 CFRs in the north, west and south of the Island and recent training courses have been full, such is the interest in volunteering.
 
‘We quickly realised what a great bunch of characters the CFRs were,’ Phil said. ‘Perhaps it's a case of if you're going to be a CFR you need to have something in your personality which allows you to face and cope with the scenarios in which you may find yourself.’
 
Phil, who works for a Bath-based Solicitors Own Software, wanted to raise money for something tangible.
 
‘We believe potential donors will relate to the role played by CFRs in the community, hopefully with the result that they would be more willing to donate or donate more than perhaps they might have.
 
‘One of the directors of SOS died in his mid fifties about a year and a half ago following a sudden heart attack. As a result of that, SOS has funded an automated external defibrillator (AED) unit which is now sited at the ground of Bath Rugby Club in the centre of the city,’ he said.
 
The case of Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba and his miracle recovery, after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch and was brought back to life with the use of a defibrillator, added weight to the decision to raise money for the Island’s community life-savers, Phil said.
 
Phil doesn’t have a specific cash target in mind.
 
‘Times are hard,’ he said. ‘We just want to raise as much as we can. Every penny we raise is a penny the CFRs didn't have previously.’
 
Although he has played badminton for fun and did two short charity walks with Natalie last year, Phil is approaching the daunting Parish Walk, which competitors have 24 hours to complete, with ‘a mixture of fear and excitement’.
 
Natalie is dropping him off further and further from home each weekend, as he steps up his training, and the couple’s dog, Border Collie Danny, is getting plenty of exercise.
 
‘The challenge of the walk and the spirit surrounding the event that I've heard so much about is what really attracted me,’ Phil said. ‘Apart from straining my right foot in January, the training has been going well.  Fortunately, before I started the hard training it was suggested to me that I get some coaching from Alan Callow, a walking coach. That gave me a good grounding in the basic technique of race walking and is something that I now practice, even if I'm not particularly good at it.
 
‘Looking forward to the event, I don't have any firm plan for how I will approach things. One thing I will have in mind is to take it steady at the beginning as I know it takes me a few miles to get into a good rhythm.’
 
He joked: ‘If – and it’s a big if – I get anywhere near the end, then I’ll give Gerry Jones, the CFRs’ co-ordinator, a buzz and ask him to ready the ambulance for me with a nice breakfast, after which I can get my head down in the back for a leisurely ride home.’
 
To sponsor Phil, visit http://www.justgiving.com/cfr-walk2012 or send a cheque, payable to St John Ambulance Isle of Man, to St John Ambulance, Glencrutchery Road, Douglas, marking your envelope ‘Phil Brown donation’.
 
For further information about St John Ambulance Isle of Man or to find out how to sign up for first aid courses, volunteer or support its work via donations, please ring 01624 674387 or visit www.sja.org.uk/sja/counties/isle-of-man.aspx.

- Ends -