A NEW home has been found so paramedics can continue to save lives on the Cartmel Peninsula.

The ambulance stationed in Grange has officially moved after bosses issued a public appeal to help it find a new base. 

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has moved the vehicle into Grange Fire Station, on Beech Road, after more than 20 years of having a presence at a small station in a building owned by R.A. and J.S. Fletcher and Sons on Kents Bank Road.

The business wanted to use the space again so NWAS had to find a new place for its ambulance to go. 

The Westmorland Gazette: The main ambulance vehicle was out on a job The main ambulance vehicle was out on a job (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Matt Cooper, area director for Cumbria and Lancashire for NWAS, said part of the challenge associated with finding a new base for the ambulance service was the rental costs and lack of available spaces in Grange. 

"It's really important that we find a home in Grange and that we find a base for our ambulance to respond from,” he said. “We've worked closely with the fire service and the Police Crime Commissioner's office to co-locate with them at Grange Fire Station on Beech Road. We really struggled to find somewhere to be based in Grange and we absolutely didn't want to have to remove an ambulance from this community.

READ MORE: NWAS in Grange officially moves into fire station

"If we didn't have an ambulance in Grange it would impact upon the time it would take us to get to acutely unwell patients and we want to be in this community so when people call 999 they've got an ambulance local to them that can respond to that emergency. If you had to come from far away, although we're supported by community first responders and others who support us in the community, we wouldn't be able to get a paramedic to patients as quickly as possible."

NWAS has one 24/7 emergency ambulance in Grange which is operated by a team of eight clinicians. Refurbishment at the fire station will get underway soon and to create a mess room, kitchen, bathroom, locker room and office area.

A canopy will be erected outside and there will be parking for ambulances and staff parking. Once contractors are in place, it should take about two months to complete the works, and NWAS will then move from the current shared accommodation into its own space on the site. Initially, the agreement is for 12 months with the potential to make it a permanent arrangement.

The Westmorland Gazette: The fire crew said that reducing their service response by accommodating the ambulance was a 'non-negotiable' The fire crew said that reducing their service response by accommodating the ambulance was a 'non-negotiable' (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service Area Manager Ian Seel said: "Today's a real key milestone in hopefully what is going to become a permanent multi-agency feature."

When asked if the move would impact Cumbria Fire and Rescue's presence in Grange by giving part of the shop floor to the ambulance, he said maintaining front-line delivery for both the fire and ambulance service was a 'non-negotiable' from the start of conversations between the two agencies. 

A petition, launched by MP Tim Farron and councillors Pete Endsor, Jenny Boak and Sue Sanderson, calling for the service to be saved, had gathered more than 1,300 signatures.

“It’s absolutely fantastic news that the long-term future of the Grange ambulance has been secured,” said Mr Farron.

“I’m enormously grateful to NWAS, the Fire Service and everyone who signed our petition.

“It’s massively reassuring that we will have life-saving blue light services available in the heart of Grange serving the whole of the Cartmel Peninsula for many years to come.”