Developer partners with local charity to supply defibrillator for Rugby community

OurJay Foundation, based in Warwickshire, aims to raise awareness of the importance of having 24/7 publicly accessible, automated external defibrillators.

The charity was set up after the passing of 18-year-old Jamie Rees in 2022. Jamie suffered a cardiac arrest and, although paramedics managed to get his heart beating again, the oxygen starvation to his brain meant he sadly passed away shortly after.

Jamie’s family started OurJay Foundation soon after to purchase a 24/7 accessible defibrillator for Ashlawn School. Since then, it has installed over 128 defibrillators, with many more waiting to be installed across the county.

Barratt Homes donated £1,170 to the charity to support its work to purchase a defibrillator for the new community at its Ashlawn Gardens development. The defibrillator has been installed on the outside of the sales centre, accessible to anyone if needed.

Naomi Rees Issitt, Jamie’s mum and Chair at OurJay Foundation, said: “Being able to work with Barratt Homes to ensure there is a 24/7 accessible defibrillator on a new housing development in Rugby is a huge breakthrough for Jamie’s foundation. We feel that every new-build development in the UK should have an accessible defibrillator and we hope that Barratt Homes at Ashlawn Gardens will become the first of many. We are so grateful for the donation made to OurJay Foundation.”

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time, at any age. With a defibrillator available within eight minutes, it can increase the chance of a person’s survival by up to 70%.

Simon Francis, Managing Director at Barratt Homes Northampton, said: “Access to a defibrillator is of the utmost importance, and we’re thrilled to work with OurJay Foundation to provide a defibrillator at our Ashlawn Gardens development.

“As a leading developer, it’s vital we support charities and organisations near where we build, so we’re proud to support the charity’s work that has such an impact on the residents of Warwickshire.”

More information about the charity, visit the website at OurJay Foundation.

For more information about any developments in the area, visit the website at Barratt Homes in Warwickshire.