Defib installed in town centre
LIFESAVING equipment has been installed in a Carmarthen town-centre square.
The aim was to raise £1,000 to buy a defibrillator for Jackson’s Square and the effort was led by Sloppy Joes Streetfood, based in the square.
Owners Gary and Kristin Ridley kick-started the project in February, with people and businesses digging deep to make the campaign successful, raising a total of £1,250.
A Gofundme page dubbed Saving Lives in Jackson’s Square was set up to allow people to donate online.
Gary and Kristin said: “The £1,250 was raised through our Gofundme plus donations from Rogers Butchers, Fforest Isaf Farm Eggs, Carmarthen Ukuleles, Taylors of Carmarthen, Oreknot Creative Hub and Carmarthen Bid.
“We put five members of our staff through defibrillator and first-aid training.”
Tony Wall, area co-ordinator for the Tenby and Saundersfoot First Responders, sourced and fitted the defibrillator and a case for it.
Gary and Kristin added: “He is on call for anything we need for the upkeep of the equipment such as new pads if the equipment is used.
“We have a code to open the case to use the defibrillator in an emergency if it’s needed during our open hours and the general public need to dial 999 for the code to open the case if it’s needed outside our open hours.
“We hope we never need to use it but we have peace of mind knowing that there is life-saving equipment here in the square for the community to use if necessary.”
The defibrillator, like all others is registered on The Circuit – the national defibrillator network which links defibrillators to every ambulance service in the UK.
If someone phones 999 for emergency help, they can be directed to the nearest defibrillator with the help of this network.
Speaking previously about the importance of having a defibrillator in the square, Kristin said: “The square is a perfect place for this very important life-saving piece of equipment to be housed, as it’s a very communal area with a lot of regular footfall.
“It is easily accessible from many parts of town and is a thoroughfare from King Street at the top of the town, down to John Street and the bottom end of town.”
Gary and Kristin opened the twostorey restaurant in Jackson’s Square in October 2020, after running their hugely successful takeaway van in the town centre.
Kristin added: “Footfall has really grown in the square and we felt having life-saving equipment like the defibrillator attached to the wall of our restaurant would be a huge benefit to the community.”