HUNDREDS of people turned out to get a taste for what it would be like working for the county’s ambulance trust.

South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) opened its doors to the public on Saturday in a bid to encourage new recruits.

After 500 residents came to the open day in 2016, 40 people were hired and Matt Green, a paramedic, was one of them.

The 29-year-old said: “A big plus for working with South Central Ambulance Service is that you are working with people who actually care.

“These people come to work every day wanting to do their best for patients.

“Before I was a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service and you did not get the variety of jobs that you do here, while working in counties that have urban and rural areas.

“I love it here.”

Across the trust 290 people are employed in Oxfordshire as part of the 999 service with another 90 people employed in non-clinical roles.

Amanda Cundy is the community liaison and training officer for the 1,000 volunteers across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hampshire.

She said: "This really is a fantastic way for people to see how they can get involved on a voluntary level.

"Our community first responders are an integral part of our service because they are sometimes the first on scene at a life-threatening emergency.

"By opening our doors to visitors today we are able to explain at length the training and support we are able to give our volunteers."

Ms Cundy said that after last year's open day around 30 people signed up to be a community first responder.

She added: "Even if someone came along today and did not sign up.

"By talking to their friends and family about what they learnt and saw we found last year a lot of people volunteered through word of mouth."

The trust had all their bells and whistles out during the event at its Bicester headquarters from tours around its NHS 111 call centre to a training 'simbulance'.

Although the trust said it was not looking to recruit immediately, the open day was an opportunity for people to find out more about how the trust worked.

Child minder Suzanne Wareham, from Kidlington, said she had come down to see what volunteering opportunities were available.

She said: "I'm thinking about being a community first responder, as I think I would really enjoy it.

"It is helping people out and helping to give back to the community.

"It is a very interesting role so hopefully something will come out of today for me."

The event ran from 10am to 2pm and the trust will be hosting another recruitment day on Saturday, January 28 at its Hampshire base in Otterbourne.

For more information visit: scas.nhs.uk