A WOMAN who set up a scheme to provide life-saving first aid in her village has been named a Community Champion.

But Tricia Slater says the award is a tribute to all the volunteers who have taken part in the Trimdon Village First Responder Scheme.

Under the scheme, trained volunteers can be called out if someone has suffered a suspected heart attack.

They provide early help which could dramatically improve the victim's chances of survival.

The Community Champion awards are made by the Scarman Trust, which encourages individuals to take an active part in the regeneration of their communities. It also offers early day support, advice and training.

Mrs Slater is the village's health and social care officer, employed by Trimdon 2000. The post is funded by Sedgefield Primary Care Group and the Northern Rock Foundation.

She said: "I don't take it as a personal award, it is for the community and the people that live in the village who decided that they wanted to make a difference.

"There were moments when it would have been easier to walk away because there were so many challenges, but we all stuck in there and overcame all the problems. A lot of people in the village are talking about the scheme now, and we are getting younger people to be volunteers."

The Trimdon scheme, the first of its kind in the North-East, was launched last December by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mr Blair's agent, John Burton, said: "This is wonderful news. The First Responder scheme is so good for the village and has had such a good response.

"As well as that, Tricia has put in a tremendous amount of work into other schemes and she is getting a reputation for hard work and getting the village people interested in health matters."

There are now 13 volunteers in Trimdon, plus three police officers, who work a rota so someone is on standby from 8am to 8pm every day.

They have attended 11 calls so far, mostly for heart problems.

The project, backed by the North-East Ambulance Service, has since expanded to all parts of the region.

Meanwhile, more volunteers are needed to keep the Trimdon First Responder Scheme running. Anyone interested can contact Tricia Slater on (01429) 883088.