Chulmleigh’s new co-responder vehicle has been named ‘Eileen Dolling,’ after the town crier who recently retired after more than 20 years’ service.
Eileen was present at the unveiling of the new vehicle at the Pavilion in Chulmleigh and was delighted that the 4x4 had been named in her honour.

She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the name on the side of the co-responder vehicle, I thought it must be someone else called Eileen.
“I was not expecting it but I was really pleased. It has been a really good effort by everyone in the town to help provide this facility for the local community.”

Local residents were invited to the ceremony alongside Peter Heaton-Jones MP and representatives from the fire and ambulance services and the charity Devon Ambulance Response Teams (DART).
DART funded and supplied the vehicle for firefighters to attend to patients. The charity raises funds to help provide early intervention to people suffering from medical emergencies, particularly in rural and remote areas where response times for the emergency services may be longer.
Chairman Phil French said: "All our thanks must go to our firefighters; without their willingness to do this work we would not and could not be celebrating the launch of this service.”
Group Manager Jon Chalk, of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, said: “We’re really grateful to DART for helping us to provide this service to the Chulmleigh area. Our co-responder scheme does save lives because receiving medical intervention at the earliest opportunity is crucial when someone is experiencing a heart attack.”

A number of fire stations in Devon and Somerset take part in the co-responder scheme with the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to ensure the quickest possible response to certain medical emergencies.
The launch event was funded and organised by local pubs The Old Court House and The Red Lion.