Lodge’s kind-hearted gift to Lochgilphead community
Lochgilphead has another welcome new addition to the town centre, in the shape of a potentially life-saving defibrillator.
The swanky fresh look to Colchester Square and lower Argyll Street, complete with Achnaba stone, aims to attract more people to the town centre.
And with newly-painted shop fronts, about-to-begin improvements to the front green and the CARS town centre improvement scheme on the horizon, Lochgilphead’s visitor numbers will surely rise.
At any time a defibrillator could save lives but, with more people around, having one nearby becomes that bit more vital.
Thanks to a donation to Lochgilphead Community Council from Lochgilphead’s masonic lodge, the new defibrillator has been installed on the outside wall of the toilet block on Lochnell Street, beside the front green.
Community council convener Andy Buntin said: ‘On behalf of the Lochgilphead community I would like to thank Lodge Loch Fyne 754 for donating this defibrillator.
‘Thanks also to Argyll and Bute Council staff who helped with its installation under difficult circumstances during the pandemic.
‘With the expected increase in footfall in Lochgilphead, this unit will not only benefit the local population but also visitors to the town.’
Lodge members took advice from the British Heart Foundation before deciding on the most suitable model. ‘I’m very proud of our members for the various donations to the community during the Covid crisis,’ said master of the lodge Donald Crawford.
He added: ‘The Grand Lodge of Scotland and the provincial Argyll and the Isles Grand Lodge have been supporting us through the pandemic and with some fundraising we’ve been doing, this released some funds.
‘We had been looking at a defibrillator for the lodge itself, but because there’s limited access we thought it would be better to have one the community could benefit from 24 hours a day, seven days per week. We are delighted to get the funding in place and donate this defibrillator to the community council. Hopefully it won’t need to be used, but it’s there if needed and we are pleased to have helped.’
Mr Buntin concluded with a special request to the public: ‘Please treat this life-saving device with the respect you would give any paramedic. Remember it could be your life, or that of one of your loved ones, it helps to save.’
Defibrillators are also available at MACPool, Lochgilphead Golf Club and in Ardrishaig.