A NEW electric car arrived at the Basingstoke depot of St John Ambulance this summer as part of a project to replace existing support cars across the country thanks to a generous donation.

In August 2022, the Medlock Charitable Trust pledged to match the fundraising efforts of St John and communities across England, of up to £1m, enabling the charity to purchase greener, cleaner, more efficient emergency vehicles, over three years.

The matched funding incentive helped to endorse local and national fundraising across the country and, in total, St John raised nearly £130,000 towards the electric cars.

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Basingstoke is one of the lucky locations to receive an electric vehicle, which will be used in the Hampshire area as well as areas further afield as and when required, and the teams are delighted to be able to use it. 

Neil Spencer, district fleet officer at St John Ambulance, said: “Here at St John Ambulance, we are a forward-thinking and future-ready organisation, and nothing highlights this more than the introduction of our new Kia e-niro electric vehicles, kindly donated by the Medlock Charitable Trust. 

“These vehicles offer us a wide range of uses and will further help us support our fantastic volunteers to do what they do best. 

“They are extremely comfortable to drive, easy to charge and have a massive load of space so we can carry five people and equipment to and from events. 

“A big thank you to the Medlock Charitable Trust for the kind donation of these vehicles across the country, we will certainly put them to good use.”

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St John’s investment in electric vehicles is part of the ongoing environment and sustainability programme.

Initial plans in St John Ambulance’s 10-year fleet strategy include the purchase of 12 electric cars and 15 community support units, plus the replacement of ageing ambulances with state-of-the-art new vehicles. 

The trust – a family-run grant-making organisation from Bristol – also supported St John Ambulance’s Christmas appeal in 2022 by matching donations up to £55,000, helping it to achieve a grand total of almost £130,516 which could enable it to train more than 1,000 volunteers in lifesaving skills and purchase vital equipment and supplies for them to use. 

For more information about St John Ambulance and the work it does, visit sja.org.uk.