VANDALS caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to a charity tent last weekend, to the despair of fundraiser's at a community event.

Anglesey's First Response (AFR) team were looking forward to their second fundraising outing, aimed at promoting their campaign to improve the island's below average cardiac survival rate.

They put up their stall last Saturday night ready for the second day of the Holyhead Maritime Festival.

To their dismay and utter frustration, they arrived the next morning to find the tent wrecked beyond repair.

The tent was worth £300 and the team must now use vital funds to pay for a replacement.

Robert Thomas, a member of the AFR team was shocked by the total disregard for their charity work, and the mindlessness of what the vandals had done.

He said: "Why do it? They gained nothing from it, they didn't steal anything, it's just vindictive.

"It's ruined and we'll have to pay for another, it was only the second time we'd used it.

"Everybody at the festival offered us support and we'd like to say a massive thank you to the Coastguard who lent us a big marquee so we could carry on with our work that day."

The AFR team was set up to help the ambulance service in improving response times on the island to medical emergencies.

The national survival rate for cardiac incidents is currently 5%. On Anglesey it can be around 4%

The AFR aims to get response times to island incidents down to four to five minutes, so increasing the chance of the patient's survival.

Their fundraising activities, such as their stall at the Maritime Festival, raise the vital funds needed to achieve this improved response time and save more lives.

The cost of the vandal attack has therefore set back the AFR's fundraising work considerably.

* North Wales Police have asked anyone with any information on the vandalism which occurred at about 9.25pm last Saturday to contact them on 0845 6071002 or 0845 6071001 for the Welsh language line.

Story and picture courtesy of Holyhead and Anglesey Mail