A WIDER range of services may soon be offered to North Yorkshire and Teesside by St John Ambulance following an extension to its Thirsk headquarters being designed and built by Severfield-Reeve Projects.

First aid service and training organisation St John Ambulance is set to extend its patient transfer work following the completion of a 1,200 sq ft extension to its headquarters at Thirsk Industrial Park.

Construction work on the new £100,000 extension started in January and is due to be completed this summer.

The extension, the second phase of the £500,000 headquarters which opened in 2000, will comprise two garages, a store room and first-floor offices. John Welsh, St John Ambulance county executive director, said: "This extension was always part of our plan and, by providing a new operational base for ambulances in the heart of our area, it will enable us to offer a wider range of patient transfer-services to the NHS and the care sector, such as when hospitals or care homes need to move patients elsewhere to create free beds.

"Without the extension, if we needed an ambulance in Northallerton, we would have to bring one up from Wetherby, so having a garage depot in Thirsk will be highly beneficial. The offices will be a base for staff who will manage and monitor this service, which will be an important development in our activities."

Severfield-Reeve Projects designed and built the original 4,800 sq ft St John Ambulance headquarters when the organisation combined its Cleveland and North Yorkshire areas to cover the area between Hartlepool and Selby.

Mr Welsh said: "Severfield-Reeve Projects produced a superb building for us the first time round. The design build process suited us well and we are pleased to be working with them again."

Lindsay Ross, managing director of Severfield Reeve Projects, said: "It is always a pleasure to receive repeat business and we are delighted to be working on this second phase with St John which will enable the organisation to develop its services so significantly."

Updated: 09:09 Tuesday, March 25, 2003