SOS saviour for Yarmouth revellers
A NEW mobile treatment unit on Great Yarmouth seafront had a busy first night, treating five people who were among revellers enjoying a night out at the weekend.
A NEW mobile treatment unit on Great Yarmouth seafront had a busy first night, treating five people who were among revellers enjoying a night out at the weekend.
Volunteers at the unit, known as the Nightsafe Haven, treated people for a range of injuries including cuts, bruises and grazes while parked near The Jetty between 9pm on Saturday and 3am on Sunday.
One man had to be treated for hot ash in his eye, while the volunteers reunited a young woman in a distressed state with her relatives.
Based on the SOS Bus, which provides help for late night revellers in Norwich, the St John Ambulance Trust is providing the facility to cut the number of people being admitted to hospital with drink-related injuries.
Figures from the James Paget University Hospital show that between April 2009 and March this year, staff treated 615 people for alcohol-related injuries, while between April 2008 and March 2009 there were 576 treated.
The Haven scheme is the idea of former Norfolk Police youth projects officer Colin Lang, who helped set up the SOS bus in Norwich following the death of three teenagers in four months, including 16-year-old Nick Green, who was found dead in a Norwich river in 2001 following a night out with friends.
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He said: “We had a busy first night. We were told that there appeared to be several stag and hen nights in town.”
“I was pleased with the way the night panned out. St John Ambulance had four staff on duty in our treatment unit,” he added.
NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney has paid �25,000 for the unit to operate on the seafront every Saturday for the next six months, but funding still needs to be agreed for the unit to continue beyond this time period.
Anyone who wants to volunteer for the Nightsafe project can call Mr Lang, the Trust's youth and community liaison officer, on 01603 431639.
