DO YOU think you could you outrun an ambulance?

Well, that's the challenge being set in a bid to raise funds for South Central Ambulance Charity.

The organisation is urging people to take part in a virtual fundraising challenge to cover more miles than an emergency ambulance does in a single shift – and help support the volunteer Community First Responder and Co-Responder programme.

It follows a successful inaugural ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ event last year where participants raised more than £13,000 for the charity which was put towards keeping some of South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) NHS Foundation Trust’s 1,200 responders equipped.

Volunteer responders are members of the public trained to support the ambulance service primarily by attending medical emergencies and sometimes providing lifesaving first aid to patients before paramedics arrive.

“Our ambulance staff and volunteers really are going the extra mile every shift of every day to keep us all safe during these challenging times,” said Vanessa Casey, chief executive of South Central Ambulance Charity.

“Now we are asking others to help us to again go the extra mile for them and the communities they serve by taking on the ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ challenge.

“Last year we saw a fantastic return of more than £13,000 which was used to support the ongoing costs of our 1,200 volunteer Community First Responder and Co-Responders.

“It costs around £300 per responder per year to keep them equipped with essentials such as smartphone line rentals for the app that deploys CFRs to incidents, batteries for defibrillators to support patients in cardiac arrest and observation kits, as well as our vehicles.”

This year the challenge will focus on supporting six regional ambulance charities, with participants able to visit a dedicated website – www.outrunanambulance.co.uk – and select their area or go direct to their chosen JustGiving page.

In the SCAS patch, people can choose the distance they want to do based on the mileage clocked up by crews during the course of a typical shift across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

Fundraisers can choose their timeframe - up to a maximum of three months - to ‘outrun’ the distance by at least one mile. From Wexham in the South who cover 70 miles in an average shift to Milton Keynes in the North covering 150 miles, there is a range to suite everyone.

People can walk, run, swim, scoot, cycle or ride anything that is self-propelled to achieve their goal and it is designed for all abilities, with the option to take part as an individual or as part of a team.