The Strings & Things Showband played shows with The Salvation Army Brass Band at Christmas last year to raise funds for a defibrillator desperately needed for the Bombeiros’ ambulance in Almodôvar.
Due to the distance involved in taking injured or sick people to the nearest hospital, it can be well over an hour before they arrive there, which can lead to tragic results due to failure to treat the patient without this valuable and expensive machine.
Captain Luís Viriato of The Salvation Army heard about the plight of the Almodôvar Bombeiros from the local town hall there and contacted Howard Scott Parkin, band leader of The Strings & Things Showband. Together they put on shows at the São Brás Theatre and Vale do Lobo Golf Club, raising €5,000 to be able to buy the life-saving machine.
Specially designed for the ambulance, it took six months but it finally arrived.
Photos: Howard Scott Parkin with wife Mary, Captain Luís Viriato and members of the Bombeiros and Almodôvar Câmara
