Defibrillators fitted in village

IN early February 2018, John Wood from Oughtibridge was enjoying a drink in the local pub when one of his friends, Andy Clarke, took ill and very suddenly passed away.

The events of that night led John and his friends to seek to raise funds and buy a defibrillator accessible to the local community in memory of Andy.

John went to his nearest ambulance station, Middlewood in Sheffield, to seek advice on how to go about his project.

It was there where he met Simon Froggatt, a paramedic who was on his lunch break and coincidentally lived in the same village. The two of them, with the agreement and support of Andys’ family set about fundraising and dedicating the defibrillator in his memory. And so the £999 team was formed with the local community rallying behind the group.

They received great support from numerous individuals, particularly Anna Martin, who volunteered to become the fundraising coordinator and was essential to the success with her previous fundraising experience.

Community groups including Oughtibridge Brass band, Seven Hills Harriers ladies running club, Oughtibridge War Memorial Cricket Club, and Oughtibridge Wesleyan Reform Chapel all held fundraising events or made donations to the cause, helping in any what they could.

Two local electricians, Nathan Younge and Paul Burkinshaw of Derek Milner Sheffield Electric, agreed to install the CPADs free of charge. The first defibrillator was fitted outside the M&A Oughtibridge Chemist on Bridge Hill.

The community aimed to raise an initial £999 to apply for a community grant for a subsidised cost form the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charitable Fund. The fundraising was so successful that the community raised just over £5,000.

This was beyond all expectation and meant that they were able to site a second CPAD which is sited at the old Daisy Chain Nursery, and with plans for it to be re-sited at the new co-op on Langsett Road and also donate a third to the local primary school. The team sourced long term guardians and owners.

Oughtibridge Wesleyan Reform Chapel have now taken ownership of the two CPADs, they hold a ring-fenced fund which is used for ongoing costs of maintenance, replacement pads, batteries and insurance.

The cause has had great support from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service charity, who provided three community first aid awareness sessions and a defibrillator awareness session to educate the community around basic life support and defibrillation.

The £999 team would like to give thanks to Mohamed A Patel of M&A Chemist and Debbie Beetlestone, former manager of Daisy Chain for giving permission for the fitting of these life saving defibrillators.

A spokesperson for the team said: “We hope that the defibrillators never have to be used, but having them available is a great achievement.

“Sudden cardiac failure is the leading cause of premature death in the UK, but many lives can be saved with immediate treatment. Fast access defibrillation and good quality bystander CPR are the two biggest factors in survival rates of out of hospital cardiac arrest.

“The chance of survival is dramatically increased if a defibrillator can shock the heart quickly, while an ambulance is on route. This chance of survival decreases seven to 10% for every minute that defibrillation is not available.

“CPADs are defibrillators placed in public places accessible 24 hours a day. The defibrillators are placed in a locked cabinet, when a caller calls 999 they can be sent to that box. The device can be used while the Ambulance is on route increasing chances of a successful resuscitation.”