Life-saving defibrillator installed at pub by charity
A Sunderland pub is now the home of a life-saving defibrillator thanks to North East heart charity Red Sky Foundation.
The public-access device, which can deliver potentially life-saving shocks to those suffering sudden heart issues, has been installed at the Board Inn pub in Durham Road, East Herrington.
It comes after Red Sky founders Sergio and Emma Petrucci met with local businesswoman Helen Trueman Howe and councillor Chris Burnicle to put a team of runners together for the Sunderland 10k run to help raise funds to provide another defibrillator for the city.
Coun Burnicle was able to provide public funds to help boost the amount needed to arrange for its installation.
"I’d seen how much of a positive impact Sergio and Emma have made across the region with their foundation and I wanted to get involved to help their charity,” said Helen.
"When I found out the Board Inn was on their list to receive a defibrillator I was happy as it’s my local pub and now I just want to keep on supporting their charity install even more.
"It would be great to have a couple more in the area, as before there were none at all. If this one saves even one person’s life, then it’s priceless.”
Sergio and Emma’s defibrillator project started in the first lockdown when the Covid wards across South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust were desperately short of the life-saving devices and the pair donated 23 machines to Sunderland Royal Hospital to help give Covid patients the best possible chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
"I’m passionate about increasing the number of defibrillators in Sunderland and the wider North East,” said Sergio.
"And it’s part of our aim to work with people like Helen and many other individuals in order to fulfil this goal of ours. We are looking forward to cheering them on in the Sunderland Runs in May and we’d love to attract more runners to join Team Red Sky to help us raise funds to install more of our defibrillators."
For more information on Red Sky Foundation or to run for the charity visit https://register.enthuse.com/ ps/event/SUNDERLANDRUNS2022