Big Stan inspires life-saving drive Community fundraiser secures defibrillator
Pub goers and a Rangers supporters club came together to raise cash and buy a defibrillator in memory of their late friend.
Long-distance lorry driver Richard Munro, known to friends as Big Stan, died at the age of just 50 while working in Northern Ireland last November.
The dad-of-two, married to wife Annette for 26 years, was a popular figure within the local community, and pub regulars along with members of the Newmains Loyalist Rangers Supporters Club clubbed together to put a defibrillator outside the premises for the community to use if needed.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Bellside Inn stated: “The staff and customers of The Bellside along with Newmains Loyalist Rangers Supporters Club have been raising money that has allowed us to place a defibrillator outside the pub for the village of Bellside in memory of our very dear friend Big Stan.
“We hope that if needed this will help save lives in the local village.”
When someone collapses with a cardiac arrest, their heart can go into a kind of quivering limbo called fibrillation.
One of the most effective ways to get it going again is with a sudden powerful electric shock – and that’s the life-saving job a defibrillator does.
Equipment like this used to require hours of training, but now portable, fully automatic defibrillators are being installed in public places so even amateur first-aiders can administer them with minimal instruction.
Gemma Welsh, from the Bellside Inn, also revealed that Big Stan was such a local legend he even has his own corner of the pub.
“Stan was such a character,” said Gemma. “He was always up dancing on tables so we now have a corner of the pub in his honour.
“He was such a well-loved character, my partner Sandy was one of his best friends.
“Every year we raise quite a bit of money for charity throughout the year through a charity bottle and football cards.
“We had been planning a Christmas lunch but that got cancelled so we then thought about putting the money together for a defib that can be used by anyone in the village.
“We can’t thank all the customers and the Rangers bus members enough for all their work.
“Stan was a dear friend to everyone and he is missed by everyone.”