Life-saving kit donated in memory of ‘Mr Fix-It’
Family gift defibrillator to Dobbies in honour of William
A Stirling garden centre has been gifted with lifesaving medical equipment from the bereaved family of a former customer.
Following the death of William Forsyth of a heart attack, his relatives raised money to buy two defibrillators – one of which they gave to the city’s Dobbies Garden Centre, Drip Road, where DIY fan William enjoyed spending time.
Moved by the gesture, the Dobbies chain has now invested more than £30,000 to install defibrillator equipment across all 34 of its UK garden centres to be used in the event of an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
It’s hoped this will make the devices accessible to more rural areas where the stores are based.
Staff have also received training from British Red Cross.
The Stirling store’s manager Jonathan Sykes, has organised a plaque in William’s memory to be fitted alongside the gifted machine. William’s wife Christine Forsyth said: “As a real ‘Mr Fix It’ my husband would do anything to help anybody, so this really is in his honour.”
Mr Forsyth, a retired BT engineer, was on a day trip last year when he died of a heart attack aged 67, too far from equipment which may have saved him.
His family wanted to find something positive following their loss and a way of potentially saving other lives.
After raising a collection at his funeral, they gathered the cash to buy two machines, with the intention of donating them to places meaningful to them.
One was given to Dobbies and the other to William’s son Gordon, to be kept at his business – water sports and leisure company, Loch Lomond Wakeboard.
Mrs Forsyth of Dennyloanhead, added: “When raising funds, we knew William would have wanted us to donate defibrillators to businesses close to our own hearts – and if they help save just one life then he would be proud. As a family, we wanted to prevent a similar tragedy happening to anyone else. Being in a remote location when it occurred, we didn’t have access to an AED machine.”
Daughter Lindsay Wingate added: “Studies have shown that defibrillators improve the chances of survival. If anything, at least we would have known we had given him every opportunity to survive.
“My dad was the most amazing man. He was always helping others and wouldn’t be beaten by any job or task. This purchase proves his memory continues to do good things to an impressive standard. We hope it sets a precedent for other employers to provide such machinery and training. Everyone should know how to do CPR and have the resources to help others.”