LULWORTH'S First Responders have reacted to more than 80 incidents, ranging from broken ankles to people needing resuscitation, since they sprang into action a year ago.

The trained first-aiders, who always attend emergencies in pairs, are alerted when someone makes a 999 call from their area to the ambulance service and they aim to get to all incidents within eight minutes.

Volunteer Stephen Pack said: "It has been a very interesting year. About 80 or 90 per cent of the time we arrived before the ambulance and I think we have helped people.

"The quicker we get to people to aid them in their recovery can make a vast difference.

"The first weekend we went live we were called to a doctor who had broken her ankle.

"Doctors are not often ideal patients but we managed to calm her down and give her oxygen," the coastguard from Lulworth added.

He said August was the busiest month for the First Responders, when they were responding to at least one incident a day.

Mr Pack said: "One day while we were helping someone who had broken their hip we had a report of someone who was drowning in the cove. Luckily as there were four of us we were able to attend both."

The group aims to provide cover around the clock but at the moment it is providing cover 90 per cent of the time.

The 11 volunteers have been trained in first-aid including administering oxygen and using a defibrillator and meet once a month to refresh their training, which is given by paramedic Julie O'Connor.

Equipment is provided by the South Western Ambulance NHS Trust but the First Responders have to raise money to run their car.

Mr Pack said: "We have found that there are certain places we are unable to get to in our car so we are considering buying a four-wheel drive vehicle but that would be expensive."

Anyone who is interested in volunteering to become a First Responder or helping them with fund-raising is invited to a meeting on Thursday in Lulworth Village Hall at 7.30pm or call Mr Pack on 01929 400451.