Communities across the Harrogate district have been awarded money to help them buy public access defibrillators thanks to a one off funding scheme from Harrogate Borough Council.
In November last year the council set aside £16,000 to help fund up to 18 community defibrillators in areas identified as ‘high risk’ by Yorkshire Ambulance Services.
Last Wednesday (24 February 2016) the successful applications were announced.
They are:
- Bishop Monkton
- Goldsborough
- Grantley
- Sawley
- Green Hammerton
- Grewelthorpe
- Hartwith Parish Council
- Kirk Hammerton
- Little Ouseburn
- Markington
- Marton Cum Grafton
- Masham
- Minskip
- Pannal
- Sicklinghall
- Skelton on Ure
- Middlesmoor
- Almscliffe
Public access defibrillators are designed to be used on someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest, delivering an electric shock to restore the heart’s normal rhythm. They can be used by anyone without any previous training as they provide vocal instructions.
With each defibrillator and its installation costing £1,800 the council’s grants provide 50 per cent of match funding. Yorkshire Ambulance Service will also provide defibrillator training for free.
The public defibrillators will be installed by national organisation Heartsafe, over the coming months.
Councillor Richard Cooper, the Leader of Harrogate Borough Council, has spearheaded the community defibrillator scheme. He said:
I know how important these life-saving devices are, particularly where quick and easy access to paramedics or the hospital is not an option. That’s why I wanted to introduce the community defibrillator scheme.
There are people who still have parents, children, brothers and sisters around today because of community defibrillators and I am pleased that, through this community grant scheme, there will be 18 more of them helping to save lives across the Harrogate district.
Dave Jones, Community Defibrillation Officer at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said:
It is a real benefit for local communities to have their own defibrillator located in a public place with an access code easily available from the ambulance service.
In many medical emergencies the first few minutes are critical and if effective treatment can be performed during that time, lives really can be saved.
Gerald Shervinton is the chairman of the Bishop Monkton Village Hall and Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field Committee, which applied for a grant from the fund. He said:
This is great news for Bishop Monkton. The village already has its own first responder team to respond to 999 calls in the village, and soon users of the village hall and playing fields will have the same treatment available to them.
