A charity that delivers essential first aid support faces fines amid the imminent introduction of Glasgow's low emission zone (LEZ). 

St Andrew’s First Aid, which has its headquarters within the LEZ in the city’s Cowcaddens area, needs to raise £300,000 to meet the requirements of the zone. 

Glasgow will introduce the pollution-cutting regulation across its city centre from June 1. 

It will allow only less polluting vehicles while many older cars and vans face a £60 fine if they are not compliant with the criteria. 

St Andrew’s First Aid is appealing for business sponsors to help support the upgrade of their fleet of Mobile First Aid vehicles and pool cars.

The charity, which has been providing first aid for over 141 years, said it was supportive of the efforts to reduce pollution in the city centre but is "up against the clock" with limited funds. 

Chief executive Stuart Callison said: "The new low emission zone is a landmark change that will help to improve the health of everyone in the city centre - and we fully support its introduction.

"However, charities everywhere have been met with rising costs and economic challenges, and we are no exception.

“Upgrading our pool cars and first aid vehicles to more efficient models has been front of mind for some time, but our priority has focused on ensuring the continued delivery of community training, which brings with it significant costs."

The specialised first aid vans are fitted with beds and life-saving first aid equipment. 

Essential for providing urgent help to people in their greatest time of need, they cost £65,000 each to purchase and fit out to the required specification.

They also use two pool cars to transport volunteers and first aid supplies when delivering donation-based first aid talks and demonstrations to community groups. 

Its 900 dedicated volunteers give up a total of 50,000 hours each year providing first aid cover at around 2000 public events, as well as community and schools talks and demonstrations.

READ MORE: Homeless Project Scotland facing 'crisis' over Glasgow LEZ

With no government funding, St Andrew's First Aid relies entirely on donations from organisations, trusts and the public. 

Mr Callison added: "We are lucky to have dedicated and supportive sponsors and patrons, enabling our presence at major events across the country but now, vehicle upgrades have become a pressing matter, and we would welcome the sponsorship or support of any organisation that is able to help us continue to carry out our vital work.”

In return for donations, the charity is open to reciprocal support for businesses.

To help, contact St Andrew’s First Aid via https://www.firstaid.org.uk/contact-us/

It is not the first charity to reveal the LEZ could affect their work, with Homeless Project Scotland warning that they may not be able to continue feeding vulnerable Scots. 

The charity, which feeds Glasgow homeless and vulnerable nearby Central Station, will not be able to take its refrigerated van into the city. 

Responding to the issues faced by the homelessness charity, a Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Glasgow’s plan to phase in a city centre LEZ was announced in 2018 to address decades of harmful air pollution, and since then there has been extensive communications and engagement to raise awareness of the scheme, its timescale for introduction and the availability of funding to ease compliance.

“To maximise the effectiveness of Glasgow’s LEZ, it is essential that compliance rates are as high as possible.

"This means that exemptions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and where it can be shown that timely efforts are being made to comply with LEZ requirements.

“While the vast majority – up to 90% - of vehicles currently entering the city centre will be unaffected, the LEZ standards will address the most polluting vehicles which are disproportionately creating the harmful concentrations of air pollution in the city centre.”