2 minute read
GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
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It’s no secret that, one of the biggest trends in recent years is the growing focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR).
It’s a trend that’s rippled throughout the Forum membership, with North East entrepreneurs putting community projects and social responsibility at the top of their agenda.
One example is the team at White Digital, who, inspired to make Darlington city centre a safer place for all, invested in a community defibrillator.
But when managing director Doug Dinwiddie arranged installation of the defibrillator he realised it was no longer needed.
From White Digital’s office on Grange Road, Darlington, you can find three community defibrillators within the 200-metre vicinity.
Taking to LinkedIn, White Digital’s former Marketing Manager Chloe Page shared a post of the spare defibrillator, encouraging local businesses to share where it should be installed.
That’s when Ashleigh Wright of Westray Recruitment replied. Just three years ago, Westray Recruitment sadly lost longstanding member of the team, Glen Forster, from a cardiac arrest.
Knowing how important this lifesaving piece of equipment would be to the businesses around Team Valley, where Westray Recruitment is based, Ashleigh commented, “Westray Recruitment Group sadly lost a very, very much loved member of our team coming up to 3 years ago now due to a heart attack that took place in our office car park. “To my knowledge, there aren’t any defibs based nearby and this is obviously something that’s close to all our hearts.”
After much collaboration between White Digital, Westray Recruitment and the North East Ambulance Service, the defibrillator now sits proudly on the outside of Westray office wall for employees, visitors to the office and the local community to use in case of a cardiac arrest.
“The defib cost White Digital around £1,800 but when you consider the price of saving someone’s life it’s nothing,” comments Doug.
“As a business owner, I want my workplace to be the safest place it can be and I’m happy we’ve been able to support Westray Recruitment make the Team Valley trading estate a safer place.
“For every minute it takes for a defib to reach a patient, they have 10% less chance of recovering. Having a defib in the workplace really will make all the difference if it’s ever needed.”
While both teams hope that the community defibrillator never needs to be used, both Ashleigh and Doug are immensely proud to have placed a lifesaving piece of equipment in the extremely busy industrial estate and most importantly, in memory of Glen.
