Worksop nurse thanks community for helping to raise more than £2,000 in two weeks for village defibrillators
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Jo Cullen, an NHS senior nurse at Lakeside Surgery, Langold, has rallied her village together to secure a defibrillator, with another one soon on the way.
The mother-of-two, of Mellish Road, Langold, set the initial fundraising target at £1,000 for one defibrillator and a cabinet which was achieved in just five days.
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Since then, she has received more than 70 donations from individuals, groups and businesses adding up to more than £2,200.
Of these donations, they included £500 from Worksop Lions FC, and £300 from Langold’s One Stop.
On hearing about Jo’s mission, Leigh Wells, chairman of Langold Juniors FC, kindly approached the FA and managed to secure a defibrillator at a subsidised cost for £500 down from £900.
The idea of a defibrillator in the village is something that has been brewing in Jo’s mind for a while, especially after her mother had a heart attack at home in 2019.
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She said: “Luckily, we didn't need a defib for my mum, the ambulance came, but you just don’t know in these situations.
“It’s time critical. If somebody is in that situation we know that the right thing to do is ring emergency services but sometimes they just can’t get there quick enough.
“From a medical perspective, the nursing side of me thinks this is absolutely something that we're missing that every village should have.”
To show support, a local electrician, Tom Milverton, has offered to install both defibrillators for free. One will be outside Langold Pharmacy and another at the top of the village.
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Larwood Health Partnership, where Jo has worked for eight years, will also b e offering free CPR sessions in the village.
Jo has shared her thanks with the community for their support: “I want people to know how grateful I am and how special I feel that they've trusted in me.
“Everybody has just given what they can, which has been absolutely amazing.
“I’m just the person that put this all in place - it’s been a complete community effort.”