Derbyshire community fundraising campaign pays for public access defibrillator

The fundraising campaign had already paid for the device, which was then stored inside the convenience store Local4U on Crowstones Road, but a final extra push has allowed for it to be fixed to the wall outside.

Shop manager Sharon Flint said: “I read a news story recently about an 18-year-old who was out with his mates and went into cardiac arrest. There was a defibrillator nearby but it was inside a locked building, so they couldn’t save him.

“We have a lot of older people living around here, and if someone collapsed after 10pm, the shop would be shut and no one would be able to access it until now. To give them the best chance of survival, they need that defibrillator within five minutes.”

She added: “It’s registered with East Midlands Ambulance Service, so if anyone needs it they will have the access code, but we also have that information in the shop if anyone comes in asking for it.”

Altogether, customers and other local residents have raised around £2,000 by knitting toys and growing plants for sale, raffling hampers, chipping in loose change and running quizzes.

A bit of extra generosity came from Lee Travis, of Projan Electrical Services, who carried out the installation for free.

There are plans to keep fundraising too, as the defibrillator requires regular replacement parts to ensure it works as needed.

Sharon said: “We want to get a bleeding control kit too. We’ve had so many people thanking us for doing this, but really it was all them. We just put it in place.”

According to defibfinder.uk, it is Darley’s fourth defibrillator to be accessible 24 hours a day, joining others at Barrington’s bar and restaurant, St Helen’s Church, and 21 Sir Joseph’s Lane, with three more in Two Dales, Darley Bridge and Northwood.

The British Heart Foundation says that less than five per cent of out-of-hospital-cardiac arrests receive bystander defibrillation, often because people do not know where to find their nearest device.

For more information on what to do in a cardiac emergency, go to bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life.

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