Warwick and Leamington to get more heart start devices

This news has been welcomed by Defibfinder, the non-profit organisation which has launched the Heart of England Defibrillator Campaign, which is aiming to make both towns and their surrounding areas among the safest places to live in the UK.

Jackie Crampton of Warwick Rotary Club has worked hard to promote the installation of a device outside Shire Hall, the headquarters of Warwickshire County Council in Warwick town centre.

The new defibrillator will be available to townspeople, council employees, library users and post office customers,

The council has agreed to install a cabinet for the defibrillator free of charge.

In Leamington, a public access defibrillator will also be fitted outside the Angel Hotel on its wall adjacent to Regent Street, which is an ideal location to protect shoppers, tourists and staff in offices nearby.

Staff at the hotel have recently undergone first aid training including the use of defibrillators.

Hotel manager Simon Beasley has agreed for the hotel to pay for the ongoing power supply to the cabinet.

The siting of both devices is subject to planning permission.

Adrian Lewis, of Defibfinder, said: “Hardly a week goes by without news on the TV or in the newspapers of an apparently fit and healthy person dying of a cardiac arrest.

“The Heart of England Defibrillator Campaign’s sole aim is to put defibrillators out into our community and for people to have speedy access to their location, saving time and saving lives.”

Mr Lewis added: “The cabinets and defibrillators offer a unique method of advertising for local or national businesses.

“The cabinets can be screen printed with a company’s logo and by their nature are sited in prominent, public positions which raises the profile of a business in a community-spirited way and shows corporate and social responsibility in action.”

For more information call 778504, visit www.defibfinder.org or contact the Courier.