Residents rally round after attack on defibrillator

Volunteers at Chestnuts community centre have been left overwhelmed with the support they have received after a defibrillator was attacked.

Last month, the centre’s defibrillator, which was donated by local charity, Gemma’s Hearts, was kicked from the wall, reportedly by a group of teenagers.

Fortunately, the lifesaving device itself was still left in working order but the case required to protect it was damaged beyond repair, this meant that it had to be taken out of the system.

The defibrillator had on- ly been installed four weeks before the incident but had been used six times in that period, including twice in the week before the vandalism occurred.

The committee at the centre in Eastfield set about raising the money to replace the case with a stronger steel one to hopefully prevent such incidents in future.

Through a fundraising week, which saw volunteers hold tombolas, raffles and bake sales plus many more activities, they were able to raise £730 towards the costs. Ward councillors Sam Hemraj and Shabina Qayyum also assisted in the fundraising.

Britannia Fire and Security Ltd offered to fit the new case for free and donated security cameras to help keep the device safe in future. The centre’s fundraising efforts were also helped on their way by an anonymous donor, who donated £200.

Evelyn Speechley, who has run the centre for 28 years, said: “We would like to thank everyone for their continued support, the defibrillator case was broken but the one thing remains is the community spirit.’’

Evelyn Speechley hands over the cheque for the new case.