Thursday 16th July 2015 – 3.50pm – Chris Kowalik.
A bright yellow cabinet now hangs on the wall of the public convenience in a busy Shropshire village.
The box houses a defibrillator, a device that could restart the heart of someone who suffers a cardiac arrest.
Picture: West Midlands Ambulance Service
It was all bought as a result of the hard fundraising work of Ironbridge and Severn Gorge Lions, The Rotary Club of Ironbridge and The Gorge WI.
Pictured (courtesy West Midlands Ambulance Service) above:
Rear left to right: Christine Christian (President of The Gorge WI), John Marsh (Ironbridge and Severn Gorge Lions) and Ryan Kennedy (local resident and BBC Radio Shropshire presenter who performed the unveiling).
Front: Max Clowes (President of The Rotary Club of Ironbridge)
Kept within the secure key-locked cabinet outside the public toilets in ‘The Square’ near the Iron Bridge, the defibrillator is there in the event of someone having a cardiac arrest; when they stop breathing and their heart stops beating. The machine can be accessed by dialling 999 and following the advice from West Midlands Ambulance Service’s control room.
At today’s unveiling, John Marsh of Ironbridge and Severn Gorge Lions explained the importance of defibrillators: “There were two ladies here the other day when I was just kitting it up and they said: ‘It’s one of those heart things. They are springing up all over the country but why are they doing it because you need to be experienced?’ Of course, you don’t need to be experienced and that’s the reason they are there on the wall.”
Max Clowes, President of The Rotary Club of Ironbridge said: “It was John’s initiative and we were so pleased to be invited by John in installing this extremely useful and lifesaving piece of equipment.”
Chris Randall, former President of The Gorge WI: We started fundraising towards the costs of the new defibrillator two years ago by making crafts within the group and fundraising activities such as garden parties and the fashion show. We soon realised it was only by co-operating with the Lions, and the Rotary got involved as well, it enabled us to go together and get this wonderful machine installed.”
Pictures: West Midlands Ambulance Service
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