The campaign to provide 24 hour public access potential life saving equipment, together with CPR awareness and defibrillator usage training, has taken another leap forward.
Firstly I would like to thank Mrs Annette Sowden (Head) of St. Mary’s School together with Liz Kengyellics, Miss Mandi Miles, Andy Robinson and all of the other staff for their help.
Following on from the installation of a Defibrillator on the outside of St. Mary’s Church by the Taylor family via the Save it 4 Seonaid fund in memory of their daughter, the school organised several awareness sessions (supported by GAMP, North East Ambulance Service and British Heart Foundation).
Over sixty of the pupils aged over ten years old together with twenty members of staff took part, taking the numbers trained to date to nearly five hundred. We followed this with the first session of key personnel at St. Mary’s Church.
On Monday a meeting with Livin following discussions over the last few months which saw them generously agree to help provide another public defibrillator unit on the outside of the newly redone ARK building at West Ward. We also made progress with fitting another public access unit in the Simpasture area near the shops. Livin have, in their sheltered accommodation unit at Simpasture, a Defibrillator which was donated to them by “Honest John”. John has agreed that he would welcome this unit being made available 24 hours to the public. Generously another anonymous donor from Middridge, who has already provided support for the unit on the outside of the Bay Horse, has provided an outdoor cabinet for the Simpasture unit.
We will over the next few weeks be purchasing and installing the new units.
We are planning, from the end of October, further free training and awareness courses to be held at the ARK, Simpasture area, St. Mary’s Church, Aycliffe Village, Neville Community Centre, and Woodham Village community Centre. Please watch for dates, times and venues which we will publish in Newton News and locally in each venue.
Should you want further information or to register your details for the waiting list please contact.
David Sutton-Lloyd
01325 316144
d.suttonlloyd@btinternet.com
