Another piece of life-saving equipment installed in Kenilworth thanks to town-based charity

Another piece of life-saving equipment has been installed in Kenilworth thanks to town-based charity.

Avonvale Veterinary Practice is the latest organisation to fund and host an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which is publicly accessible 24/7 at its Birches Lane practice as part of the Saving Lives in Kenilworth campaign promoted by local charity Kenilworth HeartSafe.

Kieran OHalloran, clinical director at Avonvale Veterinary Practice, said: “We first became aware of this campaign when one of Kenilworth HeartSafe’s Trustees, Keith Grierson, was visiting us with his dog for a routine appointment.

Keith explained that Birches Lane was in the middle of one of their target areas for the location of another AED and we thought this would be a very worthwhile initiative to support.

He said: "With guidance and support from Kenilworth HeartSafe we acquired the AED and cabinet which is now located on the external wall of our practice, registered with the ambulance service and ready for use in the unfortunate event of a medical emergency in our vicinity.

"It feels right that we should seek to support the community whose pets we are already serving with our practice”.

Kenilworth HeartSafe trustee Neil Morris said: “This is now the 24th publicly accessible AED in our community and the 17th facilitated by Kenilworth HeartSafe since our campaign started three years ago.

"It is also another great testimony to the generosity of spirit of a local business willing to put something back into the community which provides their livelihood.

"Avonvale Veterinary Practice have met the full costs of equipment purchase and installation which helps preserve Kenilworth HeartSafe’s limited funds which can be focused on CPR training courses for the public which is the other essential part of our campaign.

"Our open training courses have necessarily been curtailed during the Covid pandemic but we have recently been concentrating on running sessions for clubs and societies whose members have started to meet up again.

"Our campaign is to ensure that we have both the equipment and skills to help keep us all safe in the community where we live, work and play”.

Further information about Kenilworth HeartSafe; the location of all AED’s in and around Kenilworth; its CPR training programme and ways of making donations to support the Saving Lives in Kenilworth campaign can be found at: http://kenilworthheartsafe.com/