Brother and sister respond for Penicuik group

A brother and sister from Penicuik held a bake and craft sale for family and friends to raise money for the town’s volunteer first responders.

Sophie and Glen with Penicuik Community First Responders from left to right : Bill Lawson, Yvonne Mitchell, Alan Dickson, Gilbert Kirkwood and Douglas Wilson.

Sophie (7) and Glen McKendrick (9) decided to raise funds for Penicuik Community First Responders after they noticed life-saving defibrillator machines in the town. They wanted to help pay for more public access defibrillators.

Their mum Gillian McKendrick said: “Sophie has done first aid sessions at school and they have both noticed the defibrillators in Penicuik.

“They both love making things and we were having their auntie and cousins staying from Durham over the summer so decided to have a wee stall here with grandparents as well .

“They had homebaking, paper chains, decorated stones which were brought back from our holiday in Dorset, homemade bracelets and a lucky dip game.”

Penicuik First Responders is a charity organisation, set up with the Scottish Ambulance Service to assist with appropriate emergency 999 calls in the Penicuik area.

Yvonne Mitchell, a co-ordinator with Penicuik Community First Responders, is delighted that the young siblings thought of them.

She said: “We were contacted by their mum, who told us they wanted to raise money for us. We were delighted to hear that. They raised £40 for us which is great.

“This was a pretty sweet gesture, that these kids did this for us. The little girl had been doing first aid training at school so the kids decided to help us, which was great.”