A new defibrillator was unveiled outside the Fox, in Ansty, for the New Year.
Thank you to everyone who helped Hilton Parish Council successfully raise funds for, purchased and installed a new defibrillator. It is an enormous achievement to have done all of this in 2019.
Very kindly, John Churchill put up the defibrillator outside the Fox, with help from Clive Jones and Rob Wallis. Each week George Sotiraidis will carry out a check to make sure that it remains in good working order, having registered the kit with the relevant organisations.
Before Christmas we held our first local ‘Life Savers’ training session for 12 people. It was four hours of serious learning, interspersed by some terrible jokes, but everyone left knowing how to use a defibrillator and what to do in an emergency. Our trainer pointed out at the beginning of the session that to help someone who is in cardiac arrest effectively, a defibrillator needs to be found as quickly as possible. For every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10%. Therefore, it is important to have a broad group of people to call on for help in emergency.
A second training session took place in January 2020. It means that there is now a group of CPR volunteers covering Ansty, Melcombe Bingham, Hilton and Higher Ansty.
If there is anyone who has been trained in first aid, CPR and / or defibrillator use who would like to volunteer to be part of our local ‘Live Savers’ group, please contact either Justine (jmcguinnessreal@gmail.com) or David, the Parish Clerk.
It is worth pointing out that people don’t need to be trained to use a defibrillator. There are clear instructions on the machine. It assesses a person’s heart rhythm and so you cannot deliver a shock accidentally; the defibrillator will only allow you to shock if it is needed.
Thank you again to everyone who helped bring a new defib to Ansty.
