School will get defibrillator to protect pupils and staff

Two fundraising events have provided monetary boosts to the efforts of Defibfinder, the not for profit organisation which is running the Heart of England Defibrillator Campaign.

Defibfinder wants everyone in Leamington, Kenilworth, Warwick and the surrounding areas to be within close distance of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) - devices which can potentially save someone’s life if they suffer a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

Thousands of pounds were raised to support the campaign at a street party in Bishops Tachbrook and a Jubilee party in Whitnash.

Demonstrations were held during these events, to show people how easy it is to use a defibrillator, and more than 120 people were trained in CPR using a resuscitation dummy.

Adrian Lewis, the founder of Defibfinder, said: “People have been amazed how easy the training defibrillator has been to use and would now feel comfortable to use the equipment in a lifesaving situation.

“A retired Nurse expressed her reservations about defibrillators being used by ‘lay people’ with no medical experience – after a brief demonstration of the equipment with its incredible technology and voice prompts her reservations evaporated and she wholeheartedly supported the campaign.

“The star of the Whitnash Fun Day was a 9 year old girl that had a unique gift for chest compressions.”

Westgate Primary school in Warwick will be one of the first primary schools in the country to have a permanent defibrillator on site.