Mother who raised nearly £100,000 for first response vehicles nominated at National Diversity Awards

A mother who helped raise thousands of pounds to buy emergency first response vehicles after her daughter fell dangerously ill has been nominated for the National Diversity Awards.

Ellie Roscoe came down with measles early last year, but an ambulance did not arrive until hours later due to the high volume of calls the NHS was dealing with.

Her mother Debbie feared for her daughter's life due to the severity of her condition, and decided then she should would try to help.

Debbie Roscoe (left) feared for her daughter Ellie's life after she contracted measles. Credit: ITV News

Debbie Roscoe set up charity Arrive Alive, a service which helps volunteer emergency first responders who work with the ambulance service.

"When we were sitting in isolation, I was looking on the iPad going 'oh, well there's got to be something else.'

"I discovered first repsonders, and phoned them and said: 'What do you do, how do you do it, is there anything that we can do to help?

"They said: 'Vehicles'.

"Right, let's get vehicles."

Debbie's work has helped raise enough money for three new first response vehicles, each costing £25,000. Credit: ITV News

With Debbie's help, she raised enough money to buy three vehicles, each costing £25,000 each, which work across Solihull, Birmingham and the Black Country.

"Without the vehicles, how many lives are not going to be saved?" Debbie said.

Arrive Alive is solely funded on donations and is the only charity of its kind in the UK.

The National Diversity Awards will take place in Liverpool Cathedral on the evening of Friday, September 20.

  • The National Diversity Awards will be streamed live on the ITV News website from 9pm on Friday September 20.