Lifesaving volunteers are boosting their response to patients after fundraising efforts in St Albans.

The community first responder (CFR) group are expanding from five to eight members and need more equipment to enable them to cover a wider area.

On Friday (May 23) the group who respond to 999 calls for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) were in Boots in St Peters Street selling cakes and showing people how to carry out cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to raise £345. This was matched by Boots for a grand total of £690.

Ray Saunders St Albans CFR said: "I’d like to thank Boots for hosting what has been a great success and they’re matching what we raise on the day. The new equipment is really important because it means we can be on-call at the same time and get that lifesaving treatment to people who need it quickly."

Last month the group attended more than 20 emergency calls and need around £1,000 for a kit bag, which includes a defibrillator, oxygen and wound dressings.