Life-saving bid to buy defibrillators for East Lancashire schools

10:00am Friday 28th September 2012 in News

Charity leader Nick Hartshorne-Evans Charity leader Nick Hartshorne-Evans

BUSINESSES in East Lancashire are being urged to buy defibrillators for local schools.

Hapton-based heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous wants a donation of £1,200 from every company in the area for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) - portable devices which can shock a stopped heart back into rhythm.

Charity founder, Nick Hartshorne-Evans, said: “Twelve young people a week die of cardiac arrests, and of those, eight were undiagnosed problems.

“If two planes full of young people crashed every year, would it be acceptable not to investigate it?

“Companies have got the money for this. It’s social responsibility to take up the slack because of the lack of public investment.

“If a business can raise £1,200, they can offset that against tax and tell us where they want the AED.

“We will then go into the school with the British Red Cross to teach the first responders how to use the machine, then the staff and the pupils.

“What we do insist on though is that the local community within a one-and-a-half minute walk away, also have access to the AED.

“The figures speak for themselves - without an AED, the chance of surviving cardiac arrest is five per cent, but with an AED, the chance is 50 per cent.”

A letter from Pumping Marvellous will soon be sent to all big businesses in East Lancashire, asking for donations.

Already Manchester-based Co-Operative Funeral Care have donated over £4,000 for three AEDS, two of which will be given to Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn.

Nick said: “One AED will be at the school, and the other will be at the Harrison Playing Fields in Lammack, which is used by several different schools with thousands of pupils.”

“Part of this campaign is also about taking the fear out of first aid. A lot of people are scared about using AEDs because they think they might get it wrong, but it’s not possible.

“It’s important to know that if the machine detects a heart rhythm, it won’t shock.”

Contact Pumping Marvellous at http://pumpingmarvellous. com/

Comments (4)

10:07am Fri 28 Sep 12

happycyclist says...

Are they going to be available to the wider public out of school hours? Be handier if they were in pubs, which are open for longer hours, rather than disrupting and traumatising kids when they need to be used.
Are they going to be available to the wider public out of school hours? Be handier if they were in pubs, which are open for longer hours, rather than disrupting and traumatising kids when they need to be used. happycyclist

4:52pm Fri 28 Sep 12

ste.g says...

Hapton-based heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous wants a donation of £1,200 from every company in the area.

dont want much then do they
Hapton-based heart failure charity Pumping Marvellous wants a donation of £1,200 from every company in the area. dont want much then do they ste.g

5:03pm Fri 28 Sep 12

Fire Fly says...

Businesses responsibility to pick up the slack???

The charity insists that the community within a one & half minute walk away has access to it?? How the hell does he plan on that working given schools are locked at night & closed for many holiday periods & weekends. Is he giving everyone a key for the school. What if you live a 2 minute walk away...opps sorry you can't use it but so have a happy heart attack?

I've heard some hair brained idea's in my time but this one's priceless.
Businesses responsibility to pick up the slack??? The charity insists that the community within a one & half minute walk away has access to it?? How the hell does he plan on that working given schools are locked at night & closed for many holiday periods & weekends. Is he giving everyone a key for the school. What if you live a 2 minute walk away...opps sorry you can't use it but so have a happy heart attack? I've heard some hair brained idea's in my time but this one's priceless. Fire Fly

7:55pm Tue 16 Oct 12

ceb1974 says...

happycyclist wrote:
Are they going to be available to the wider public out of school hours? Be handier if they were in pubs, which are open for longer hours, rather than disrupting and traumatising kids when they need to be used.
Isn't the idea of this to try and save lives of young people with undetected arrhrythmias and that they spend quite alot of time but opening up the possibility of more public access??
In an ideal world we should have one in every public facility including pubs but this is a big ask surely starting with trying to protect our children and young people who are susceptible to undetected arrhythmias is a good start? I'm sure there are some businesses who are able and very willing to help?
[quote][p][bold]happycyclist[/bold] wrote: Are they going to be available to the wider public out of school hours? Be handier if they were in pubs, which are open for longer hours, rather than disrupting and traumatising kids when they need to be used.[/p][/quote]Isn't the idea of this to try and save lives of young people with undetected arrhrythmias and that they spend quite alot of time but opening up the possibility of more public access?? In an ideal world we should have one in every public facility including pubs but this is a big ask surely starting with trying to protect our children and young people who are susceptible to undetected arrhythmias is a good start? I'm sure there are some businesses who are able and very willing to help? ceb1974

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