Eleos Trust donates new ambulance to Te Puke St John

Trustees from the Eleos Home Trust, from left, David and Wendy Watson, John and Rina Bosch and Barry and Jenny Utting with Western Bay St John territory manager Ross Clarke.

A trust set up in 1986 is being wound down - with Te Puke St John reaping some of the benefits.

The Eleos Home Trust has paid for a new ambulance which was handed over recently.

Te Puke St John paramedic Simon Campbell says it is ''mind-blowing to think people out there could do this for St John''.

''Basically they talked to us and I put together a package of what an ambulance would cost,'' he says.

Te Puke St John attended 1839 incidents last year.

''We have seen probably a 5-7 per cent increase in demand each year,'' says Simon. ''The current ambulance had done about 470,000km and it was time for it to be replaced, so it was perfect timing from our point of view because we were needing to look at the options of how to manage the clinical risk of an older vehicle with high mileage.''

While everything was in place early in the year, it took some time to take delivery of the vehicle - but the delay meant the new ambulance has higher safety specifications that it would have had.

''It has all the safety features that are part of the Mercedes system such as adaptive cruise control, automated braking, surround vision on the reversing camera, all that sort of stuff - it's absolutely fantastic.

''It's a good ambulance for Te Puke. We are incredibly blessed to have it,'' says Simon.

The Eleos Home Trust - eleos meaning mercy in ancient Greek - owned a house in Rangiuru Rd that could accommodate up to six people with disabilities to offer respite care.

There was also a packhouse on the land which operated to help fund the trust's work.

''We did that until about 2004,'' says trust secretary Jenny Utting.

''We stopped really because the costs spiralled and the money we were getting for alternative care from the government was not cutting it.''

Everything was sold and the trust continued to make grants from the invested money.

''We have had applications from all around the country and grant went to things like mobility vans, scooters, adaptations to bathrooms and kitchens - big and small.

''The biggest amount was $350,000 for a new wing on a Christian disability resource centre in Auckland and we have also sent money overseas to various things. It's been a real joy over the years.''

The money is now dwindling and the trust has decided to look at its final few projects with Jenny's husband Barry coming up with the idea of an ambulance.

Jenny says she expects the trust to be wound up by the end of March next year.