Stonehouse Defibrillator Opening ceremony

We are extremely pleased to announce, that the new Stonehouse community defibrillator is fully operational.  It is located outside the Co-op in the High Street .

A BIG thanks goes to all those involved in securing the defibrillator for our town including Stonehouse Rotary, Stonehouse Town Council and Mid Counties Co-op.

This comes as a result of voluntary fundraising by the Co-Op, Town Council and Stonehouse Rotary, (Community, street and in-store collections)  alongside grants being provided by Stonehouse Town Council and Stonehouse Rotary.

The Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) are the Co-op’s recognised and official partner when it comes to providing defib’s in the local communities.

Why Have a Defibrillator?

Following a Cardiac Arrest the chance of survival decreases by 23% per minute. It is therefore very important medical treatment starts as soon as possible. The UK Resuscitation Council suggests an AED should be available wherever medical treatment is more than 5 minutes away. In practical terms this means the whole of the UK.

The Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) alongside the ambulance service provide community awareness sessions. We will be looking to hold a FREE initial session with any additional sessions incurring a small charge (charged by CHT). Should you wish to participate in the awareness session please get in touch with deputyclerk@stonehousetowncouncil.com. We will be in touch with dates and more info very soon.

The CHT community awareness ‘Heartbeat’ programme is unique and has been recognised as being ideal for a rural community to create awareness of the issues surrounding treating a patient in the community. It is not a formal classroom course, but designed to answer questions, give basic instruction, be interactive and create confidence.

The pictures show the current mayor Theresa Watt, and immediate predecessor, Chris Brine cutting the ribbon.  (Chris was mayor when the project was initially conceived between the Town Council and Stonehouse Rotary.)  Other photos show John Morris - Rotary President,  Martin Fagan from Community Heartbeat Trust,  Dave Emmett - COOP Manager,  Councillors Neil Gibbs and Gary Powell.

For more information about the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) go to http://www.communityheartbeat.org.uk