Winster: Community effort helps install lifesaving equipment

A new defibrillator has been installed outside the community–run shop in Winster, meaning people who suffer a heart attack can get emergency treatment while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

The equipment was purchased following months of community fundraising activities with grants from the British Heart Foundation and Winster charities .

Chairman of the defibrillator fundraising group Clive Newton said: “The defibrillator could be a life saver, not only for the residents of Winster but for the thousands of people who visit the village each year, for events like Wakes Week and Secret Gardens weekend and performances in the Burton Institute, or who simply walk or cycle through the village.

“It can take a long time for an ambulance to reach Winster in response to a 999 call, by which time it would be too late to save someone whose heart had stopped beating after a heart attack.

Having the defibrillator means that we can take emergency action ourselves to save a life while we wait for the ambulance to arrive.

“I want to thank all the people, from local and national organisations, who have pulled together to make this possible. The Community Heartbeat Trust and the East Midlands Ambulance Service have been particularly helpful.”