A new lifesaving defibrilator has been installed in Gainsborough

A lifesaving defibrillator has been installed in Gainsborough.
Chairman of the councils Prosperous Communities Committee Coun Sheila Bibb presenting the defibrillator to the volunteers.Chairman of the councils Prosperous Communities Committee Coun Sheila Bibb presenting the defibrillator to the volunteers.
Chairman of the councils Prosperous Communities Committee Coun Sheila Bibb presenting the defibrillator to the volunteers.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are portable devices that can be used on someone having a heart attack. They check the heart rhythm and send an electric shock to the heart to try and restore it to normal. In the event of someone suffering a cardiac arrest, the time it takes to administer aid is critical.

The new defibrillator at the Connexions Community Hub in Church Street, Gainsborough, has been secured by the Connexions project through fundraising activities with St John’s Ambulance Gainsborough, the Performing Arts Club St Johns, National Citizens Service and the Gainsborough’s Heart Support Group.

Rick Craig, from Connexions, said: “We’ve had so much support, not only from those groups with which we’re working with, but from the community at large, and we’d like to thank everyone involved in raising the funds for such an important cause. One which supports the community and will also help save lives.”

The scheme is providing 30 communities across West Lindsey with fully equipped and fitted defibrillators. Each location will receive a defibrillator and fitted external cabinet.

Chairman of the Prosperous Communities Committee at West Lindsey District Council, Coun Sheila Bibb, said: “As a Local Authority we recognise the role we can play in supporting our local communities to be safe and healthy places to live.

“Having access to a nearby defibrillator can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to administer lifesaving support. They give the best possible chance for someone to survive until medical services arrive.”

The Council is working in partnership with the charity LIVES.

Chief Executive of LIVES, Nikki Silver, said: “We know that immediate CPR and defibrillation within those first moments increases the chances of survival to 70 per cent. That is why public access defibrillators and local communities learning CPR play such a critical role in the chain of survival – everyone can save a life. 

“We were absolutely thrilled that West Lindsey District Council has undertaken such an initiative.”

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