DEFIBRILLATOR IS REPLACED IN RATHNEW
A DEFIBRILLATOR stolen from Rathnew and later found dumped and damaged has been replaced after a community appeal saw over €1,1000 raised in just eight hours.
The life-saving AED was stolen from its casing on the night of Friday, December 6, having only been put in place at the Merrymeeting Shopping Centre in July, following generous donations from local businesses and the Franey and Dunne families.
The defibrillator was discovered on Monday, December 9, dumped in the grounds of St Coen’s NS. The batteries had been removed and the screen was broken. The device was also water-damaged and no longer operational.
A GoFundMe page was established to try and purchase a replacement, with the fundraising target of €1,100 surpassed within eight hours.
Wicklow Community First Responders were overwhelmed by the amount of support they received from the local community for their fundraising campaign.
Member Anton Clancy said: ‘We couldn’t believe the response to our GoFundMe drive. The local community spirit is alive and evident by so many people logging on to our GoFundMe page and raised enough money in eight hours to have it replaced. We just want to thank everyone for all of their support. It’s very much appreciated.
‘We purchased a new defibrillator and put it back in place at Merrymeeting on Tuesday. It just shows what communities can achieve when they rally together,’ said Mr Clancy.
Anyone interested in making a donation to Wicklow Community First Responders or who would like to organise a fundraiser on their behalf, can visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wwcfr/.